[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Wang, Ted"]
[Black "Tessiore, Luca Giorgio"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Luca Tessiore"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2313"]
[BlackElo "2095"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[GameId "2217018557183644"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,76,25,16,25,12,18,18,18,21,-7,-4,16,19,30,-8,15,-9,14,9,8,8,12,12,3,7,3,-7,9,18,15,11,23,26,35,15,53,34,57,51,49,49,32,18,104,120,174,177,159,173,175,169,177,181,142,21,19,11,34,27,45,29,33,41,33,22,32,31,27,20,33,22,23,20,37,20,42,14,20]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 {The Italian, Ted Wang's typical choice for White} Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 {A slight deviation from the other main lines} d6 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 h6 8. Re1 a6 9. a4 Ba7 10. Nbd2 {The opening stage ended, we now have to figure out our stategies and points of attack} Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 {The most favorable way to play these positions, exchanging on e6 gives a semi open file and lots of attacking play} 12. b4 {An attack on the Queenside will ensue} Nh5 (12... Ne7 {This approach is slower and objectively better, passing the ball to White, also improving the misplaced Knight}) 13. Nf1 Nf4 $6 {While the engine finds this acceptable I think its a mistake as it allows White the chance to exchange his undeveloped Bishop for Black's Knight} (13... Qe8 {Qe8 is favorable and Black will try to carry out his plan on the Kingside}) 14. Bxf4 Rxf4 15. b5 {White already has a clear target and Black lacks one} Ne7 16. d4 $6 {Perhaps too rushed as it gives Black an edge but still playable} (16. N1h2 $14) 16... exd4 17. cxd4 d5 $6 {This move can be attributed to lack of thinking. After this move Black has no clear attack and created a weakness. This sparked my downfall} (17... Qd7) 18. Qd3 a5 $2 {Not realizing my mistake and continuing to ignore it} (18... dxe4 19. Rxe4 Rxe4 20. Qxe4 Qd5 21. Qd3 {White is playing for the win although if played correctly all should be equal}) 19. Rac1 Bb6 20. Ng3 Qd6 21. Nh5 Rf7 $2 {Trying to bait Ted into a tactic only to be flipped around, better was Rxe4} (21... Rxe4 22. Rxe4 dxe4 23. Qxe4 Nf5 $14) 22. Ne5 Rxf2 {I thought I had him here but little did I anticipate what was going to happen next} 23. Qg3 $1 {A silent killer hitting my undefendable pawn on g7. Here I though that all hope was lost but there is a way to squeeze out of here alive} (23. Kxf2 {Losing on the spot} Qxe5 24. g4 (24. Ng3 Bxd4+ 25. Ke2 Ng6 $19) 24... Qh2+ 25. Ke3 e5 $19) 23... Rf7 $1 24. Nxf7 $6 (24. Rcd1 $18 {A quiet move that almost nearly seals Black's fate} Raf8 25. Kh1) 24... Bxd4+ 25. Kh2 Qxg3+ 26. Nxg3 Kxf7 27. exd5 $2 {Equalizing on the spot} (27. Rxc7 {The only move to fight for an advantage. It seems obvious, but risky} Be5 28. Rxb7 d4 29. h4 (29. Rf1+ Ke8 30. Rb6 Rc8 31. Rxe6 Bb8 32. h4 Rc3 33. e5 Kd7 34. Rd6+ Bxd6 35. exd6 Nd5 36. Ne4 Rc8 {Black has a lot of counterplay but if played to perfection White should see this out to a win} 37. Rf7+ Ke6 38. Rxg7 Nb6 39. Rc7 Rf8 40. Kg3 Nd7) 29... Rc8 30. Kh3 Rc3 31. Rf1+ Ke8 32. Rf3 d3 33. Nf1 Ng6 34. g3 Bf6 35. Ra7 Ne5 36. Rf2 Nd7 37. Rxa5 Bd4 38. Rd2 Nf6 39. Ra6 Ke7 40. Rc6 Rxc6 41. bxc6 Nxe4 42. Ra2 Kd6 $18 {If perfectly played White should be winning but likely in a human game it there would be very high chances for a draw}) 27... Nxd5 {Ted opted for the easy thing but black actually has a fortress} 28. Rf1+ Ke8 29. Rce1 Kd7 30. Rf7+ Ke8 31. Rf3 Kd7 32. Rd3 Bf6 33. Ne4 Be5+ 34. g3 Bd6 35. Kg2 Rf8 36. h4 Rf7 37. Rc1 Rf8 38. Rcd1 {No matter what Black can always defend f7 and c7 squares so White had to opt for a draw} Ke7 {Although this is my worst game in the tournament, I thought this game was a good example of defending a lost position} 1/2-1/2

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.09.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Tessiore, Luca Giorgio"]
[Black "Erard, Eric Christian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Luca Tessiore"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2095"]
[BlackElo "2016"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[GameId "2217345958753588"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,87,16,13,30,0,32,33,27,35,46,22,18,8,4,2,38,41,37,31,51,13,46,15,22,32,23,33,41,14,11,30,27,13,69,63,118,152,133,146,156,147,154,167,159,126,125,117,134,97,84,80,69,63,126,107,183,206,228,189,236,242,234,234,242,230,223,193,274,231,247,136,129,135,177,197,200,206,212,222,230,230,221,201,259,269,278,286,323,326]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 {The Sameisch} O-O 6. Nge2 c5 7. d5 e6 {Black chooses a Benoni style way to approach this structure which is often considered to be the most accurate way as the pawn on f3 acts as a wasted tempo} 8. Be3 exd5 9. cxd5 {Neither typical nor correct as this move separates the Queen from the defense and does not pose any threat to White} Qa5 $6 10. a4 $1 {The correct way to approach as 10.Ng3 falls shorter} (10. Ng3 h5 $1 11. Qd2 Nbd7 12. Be2 h4 13. Nf1 Rb8 14. a4 a6 15. Bf4 Qc7 $13 {White has wasted too much time and Black's position is already perfectly fine}) 10... a6 11. Ng3 Re8 $6 {The final mistake that seals White's advantage} 12. Be2 $1 {Realizing how Nxd5 fails to work, effectively gaining a tempo} Nbd7 (12... Nxd5 $4 13. Qxd5 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 Qxc3+ 15. Kf2 $18 {Black missed how Kf2 now connects the rooks}) 13. O-O h5 14. Qd2 {White is not afraid to give black h4 as after Nh1 the Knight has a good spot on f2 and Black is left with a weak pawn} Ne5 15. h3 $6 (15. Nh1 $1 {A more precise way to play the position rearranging the Knight into a more prominent position} Bd7 16. Nf2 Nh7 17. h3 f5 18. f4 Nf7 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. g4 hxg4 21. hxg4 Bd7 22. Bd3 $16 {Due to space and better pieces, White enjoys a very comfortable game}) 15... Qb4 $6 (15... h4 $1 {A seemingly dubious move would cut White's advantage in half} 16. Nh1 Qb4 17. Qc1 (17. f4 $4 {The natural way is losing the game on the spot $1} Nxe4 $1 18. Nxe4 Nc4 $3 19. Bxc4 Rxe4 20. Bd3 Rxe3 $19) 17... Bd7 {White has no good way to dislodge the Queen} 18. Bg5 b5 19. Bxh4 Rab8 $14 {White is pawn up but Black has immense pressure on the b-file} 20. axb5 Bxb5 21. Nxb5 axb5 22. Be1 $8 Qd4+ 23. Kh2 Nd3 24. Bxd3 Qxd3 25. Bg3 {Black is trying to equalize but White no longer enjoys a firm grip on the game} Re6) 16. a5 (16. Rfc1 {Slightly more accurate} h4 17. Nf1 Nh5 18. Qe1 Bf6 19. f4 Nc4 20. Bxh5 Nxe3 21. Nxe3 gxh5 22. Kh1 $16 {Black enjoys the Bishop pair but the messed up pawn structure gives White a comfortable advantage}) 16... b5 17. axb6 Qxb6 $6 {The final nail in the coffin} (17... h4 $1 {Black's last chance to salvage the game} 18. Nh1 Rb8 19. Rfb1 a5 20. b7 Rxb7 21. Ra4 Qb6 22. f4 Ned7 23. Nf2 $16) 18. b4 $5 {Removing Black's last stronghold on d6} (18. f4 $1 {A more dynamic alternative but I opted to not risk the advantage} Ned7 19. e5 dxe5 20. f5 e4 21. d6 Bb7 22. Bc4 Ne5 23. Ba2 g5 {It was here where I missed the critical move to seal a big advantage} 24. b4 $1 $18) 18... Ned7 19. bxc5 Nxc5 20. Na4 Qc7 21. Nxc5 dxc5 22. Bf4 Qd8 23. Rac1 $2 {Too slow in such a position} (23. Bc4 Nd7 24. Bg5 Bd4+ 25. Kh1 Bf6 26. Bxf6 Qxf6 27. f4 $18) 23... Nd7 (23... h4 {Better was h4 capitalizing on Rac1} 24. Nh1 Nh5 25. Be3 a5 26. Rxc5 a4 $14 {Black still struggles, but the game is more dynamic with precise moves required for White to win}) 24. Be3 Rb8 (24... a5 {Still gives Black a fighting chance}) 25. Rb1 Rxb1 26. Rxb1 Qf6 27. f4 h4 28. e5 Nxe5 29. fxe5 Qxe5 {My opponent tries to complicate things but I made sure to cut him off} 30. Nf1 Bf8 31. Bf3 Bd7 32. Bf2 c4 33. Re1 Qf6 34. Rxe8 Bxe8 35. Qd4 $18 {Forcing a Queens' trade into a winning endgame} Qxd4 36. Bxd4 Bb4 37. Ne3 Bb5 38. Be2 c3 39. Bxb5 axb5 40. Nc2 Ba5 41. Bc5 f5 42. Kf2 Kf7 43. Ke3 g5 44. Kd3 {Calculating from 35. Qd4 I saw that I can put my opponent in a zugzwang} g4 45. Kd4 Kf6 46. Bd6 g3 47. Bf4 Bb6+ 48. Kxc3 Bc5 49. Nd4 b4+ 50. Kc4 b3 51. Nxb3 Bf8 52. Nd4 Ba3 53. Nf3 1-0

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.31"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Tarjan, Jim"]
[Black "Tang, Austin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Jim Tarjan"]
[ECO "A20"]
[WhiteElo "2326"]
[BlackElo "2147"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[GameId "541458082995"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,43,19,-12,-27,-51,16,-8,12,7,16,-4,31,15,23,4,30,49,54,37,30,30,39,51,61,43,74,85,79,77,77,84,97,84,92,80,99,100,95,103,103,96,96,100,100,104]} 1. c4 e5 2. g3 c6 3. d4 e4 4. Nc3 d5 5. Bg2 Bb4 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. Bxc3 Ne7 ({Black is looking to reinforce his center with ...f5. A logical plan; but it seems it is better to develop normally with} 7... Nf6 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Nh3 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. f3 Nc6 {Something like this, with Black standing at least equal.} ({or} 11... Bxh3 $5)) 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Nh3 O-O 10. O-O h6 {And this one does not make sense to me. Crucial that he develop something.} 11. f3 f5 {Black is too far behind in development for this to work well. Yes the Bg2 is shut in, but it has ways to break out.} 12. Qb3 (12. fxe4) 12... Kh7 $2 ({Although Black would still be in the game after} 12... Qb6) 13. fxe4 dxe4 (13... fxe4 14. Rxf8 Qxf8 15. Rf1 $18 {the variations are tricky but the jist is clear: Black doesn't get his queenside out in time.}) 14. Nf4 $18 g5 15. Ne6 {good enough} (15. Nh5 $1 {is more convincing, with a White g4 breaking out the Bg2 a crucial element}) 15... Bxe6 16. Qxe6 Nbc6 (16... Qd7 $5 {though Black is still in trouble}) 17. Bxe4 {This I could calculate.} ({Too much for me were the computer lines} 17. Kh1 Qc8) ({or even} 17. Rf2) 17... Nxd4 $1 18. Qc4 $1 Rc8 $1 19. Qxd4 Qxd4+ 20. Bxd4 fxe4 21. Rxf8 Rxf8 22. Bxa7 {White is a pawn ahead. Now, a matter of actually winning with the extra pawn.} Rd8 23. Rc1 Nc6 24. Be3 Kg6 25. g4 Kf6 26. Kf2 Ke6 27. h3 Ke5 28. Rc5+ Rd5 29. Rxd5+ Kxd5 {Which side profits from the trade of rooks? In practice I was content to trade, thinking that with Black's kingside pawns on dark squares, the win should be there. In any case, easier for me to play.} 30. Bd2 Nd4 31. Bc3 Ne6 32. Bf6 Nf4 {But in fact some problems still to work out. The N hops about.} 33. h4 $2 {A serious error, as I realized after I made the move.} Ke6 $2 {Missing his chance.} (33... gxh4 34. Bxh4 h5 $1 {trading off the kingside pawns, and making the win very difficult. Note that White's a pawn is the wrong color. A perfect Black N.} 35. Bg3 $2 Nh3+ {is what I missed.}) 34. hxg5 hxg5 35. Bd8 {Now I have what I want: weakness on g5, possibility of Ke3, clean extra pawn on the queenside} Kd5 (35... Kd7 36. Ba5 {comes to the same}) 36. Ke3 Ne6 (36... Ng2+ 37. Kd2) 37. Bf6 {zugswang} b6 38. b3 b5 39. a4 b4 40. a5 Nc5 41. Be7 Nxb3 42. Bxb4 Nd4 43. a6 Nc6 44. Be7 1-0

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Semenov, Fedor"]
[Black "Maokhampio, Lucas"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "1795"]
[BlackElo "1786"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[GameId "2222565040406719"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,90,20,-18,5,-13,11,10,5,-9,-13,-18,-35,-25,-1,-8,-10,-38,0,7,-9,-8,19,16,26,-26,-30,-79,-54,-68,-9,-29,-32,-43,-15,-35,-36,-69,-63,-82,-103,-185,-83,-184,-190,-241,-131,-83,-111,-283,-290,-337,-166,-340,-335,-421,-443,-465,-323,-206,-331,-346,-466,-405,-381,-1004,-279,-376,-381,-400,-363,-395,-342,-410,-399,-488,-435,-365,-456,-462,-452,-488,-447,-502,-424,-487,-456,-455,-453,-577,-438,-875,-842]} {Lucas gets a key win over 3rd place finisher Fedor Semenov, who was otherwise undefeated.} 1. b4 Nf6 ({The attempt to punish White's provocatove opening choice is} 1... e5 2. Bb2 Bxb4 3. Bxe5 Nf6 {with Black trading a center pawn for smooth development. But since White chose this opening, it is likely he is more familiar with the resulting positions, especially since Black rarely faces this opening. Lucas takes a pragmatic approach, setting up a King's Indian position.}) 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bb2 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Bc4 O-O 6. d3 e5 7. O-O a5 8. c3 axb4 9. cxb4 Nc6 10. Qb3 Qe7 11. Nbd2 Nh5 12. Bd5 Nf4 13. b5 Na5 $1 {This move decentralizes the knight but gains time on White's queen and stops any White plans of playing a4-a5-a6. The knight will not move for another 23 moves in a position where Black has an overwhelming endgame advantage.} ({I'd be tempted to keep my knight centeralized with} 13... Nd8 14. Bc4 Nde6 {but Black's forcing choice is better than my lazy manuervering approach.}) 14. Qc2 Nxd5 15. exd5 f5 {Black gains space on the Kingside for his attack..} 16. Rac1 Rf7 {A standard King's Indian position for the rook - it protects the pawn on c7 while contributing to the kingside attack.} 17. Rfe1 Qd8 $1 {Avoiding tricks based on the e-pawn being pinned by the rook on e1.} ({White would like to use the pin on Black's e-pawn to activate the knight on f3.} 17... h6 $6 18. b6 cxb6 19. Nd4 $13) 18. Nf1 b6 {Black has a knight on the rim, a backward pawn on c7, an undeveloped bishop on c8, yet remarkably stands better! Positional evaluation is hard, King's Indian positional evaluation is doubly so.} 19. h4 h6 20. g3 Bb7 21. Ne3 f4 22. gxf4 (22. Ng2 fxg3 {and White's position is collapsing}) 22... exf4 $5 {begins the tactical fireworks.} ({The prosaic} 22... Rxf4 23. Nh2 Rxh4 {also gets the job done.}) 23. Bxg7 fxe3 $1 24. Bxh6 (24. Ba1 $17 {is White's best chance with opportunities to set up a Q+B battery on the long diagnoal, but Black stands significanly better in this chaotic position.}) 24... Rxf3 $19 {Black is winning.} 25. Rxe3 Rxe3 26. Bxe3 Qxh4 27. Qxc7 Bxd5 28. Kf1 Bf3 29. Ke1 Re8 30. Qxb6 Qb4+ 31. Kf1 Qg4 32. Qd4 Be2+ 33. Ke1 Qxd4 34. Bxd4 Bxd3+ 35. Kd2 Bxb5 36. Rc7 Nc6 37. Be3 Re7 38. Rc8+ Kf7 39. Ra8 Ne5 40. Kc3 Bc6 41. Ra6 Rc7 42. Ra7 Rxa7 43. Bxa7 Ke6 44. Kb4 Be4 45. a4 $2 {oversight, but Stockfish says Black is winning without this error.} Nc6+ 0-1

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.09.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Maokhampio, Lucas"]
[Black "Murray, David"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "David Murray"]
[ECO "C01"]
[WhiteElo "1786"]
[BlackElo "1905"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[GameId "2217800835366912"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,120,18,10,24,-13,25,-134,13,8,29,-1,6,2,9,3,8,-1,9,29,15,18,4,9,35,-40,42,-3,61,155,83,108,98,102,152,137,138,115,101,58,7,34,-1,10,-31,10,81,73,106,230,45,13,28,72,50,98,208,183,126,116,124,126,96,39,138,163,169,234,156,154,137,143,137,105,129,13,-9,-1,-112,22,18,121,-9,56,57,39,61,68,58,24,91,88,98,90,68,86,1,58,78,80,87,66,71,54,-1,66,4,7,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. h3 Nc6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Nf3 Bf5 8. O-O Qd7 9. Bxf5 Qxf5 10. Re1 O-O-O 11. b4 g5 {The normal plan would have been ... f6 followed by ... g5 and ... h5 etc..., but it felt like I needed to act faster, and I knew about the idea to sacrifice with ... g5 to open the file.} 12. a4 f6 13. a5 Rdg8 14. b5 Nd8 15. Ba3 Bxa3 16. Nxa3 Ng6 17. b6 a6 18. bxc7 Kxc7 19. c4 g4 {with a draw offer: we were ahead of the field by a point and I would have loved to share the first and second prize. My young opponent did not have the same motivations.} 20. hxg4 Qxg4 21. Nh2 Qxd1 {I saw the knight maneuver to come, and thought I would have decent chances in the endgame where both sides have weak pawns to target. I don't recall much of what I evaluated for non-queen trades, uch as 21. ... Qg5. Eventually I felt positively about the endgame.} 22. Raxd1 Nf4 23. g3 dxc4 $1 (23... Nc6 {and White can move their king, when I don't get the d5 "outpost"}) 24. Nxc4 Nd5 25. Nf1 {A resource that I did overlook. Things are going to get choppy soon.} Nc6 26. Kg2 Re8 {With a second draw offer.} 27. Nfe3 Ncb4 {Wouldn't have been possible without the resource of ... Nd3 Nxd5 with check.} 28. Rc1 $1 Nxe3+ 29. Nxe3+ Kb8 (29... Kd6 30. Rb1 Nc6 31. d5 $16) 30. Red1 Rc8 31. d5 Rhd8 32. Kf3 b6 33. Rxc8+ Kxc8 34. axb6 Kb7 35. Ke4 $2 (35. Rb1 a5 {and I missed that} 36. Nc4 Rxd5 37. Nxa5+ Kxb6 38. Rxb4+ Kxa5 {is a winning endgame for White.}) 35... Kxb6 36. Kf5 Kc5 37. Ke6 $6 {Finally a slip-up! It felt like we both realized that the momentum had stopped when I played my next move and we made eye contact.} Rd6+ 38. Ke7 Nxd5+ 39. Nxd5 Rxd5 40. Rc1+ {An important moment. From here, I wasn't convinced I was winning at any point. I've had too many heartbreaks (mostly in online rapid games) where I promote a pawn and win a piece on one side of the board and my opponent is able to win on the other side. This is why I made sure to target White's pawns later on, which may have saved me the important half point.} Kb4 41. Kxf6 Rd2 42. Rf1 a5 43. f4 a4 44. f5 Rg2 45. Rf4+ Kb3 46. Rf3+ (46. g4 a3 47. Kg7 a2 48. f6) 46... Kb2 47. Kg7 a3 48. f6 a2 49. f7 a1=Q 50. f8=Q {This position caught the attention of GM James Tarjan for a few moments. Spoiler from the engine analysis: there is one move that doesn't lose for Black here, and I did not make it. After that, there is another only move. After 50. ... Qa7+, I was fortunate that Lucas played 51. Qf7 quickly and did not capture on h7.} Qa7+ 51. Qf7 {After the game, a spectator wanted to show us how Black was winning from this position, and I kind of rudely told him that we didn't need to see that. I felt bad and let him set the position up, and he suggested that Black play ... h8=Q+! here. Lucas pointed out which way the pawns were going, and I wondered what the kibitzer had in mind after Kxh8.} Qxf7+ 52. Kxf7 Kc2 53. Kg7 (53. Ra3 Kd1 (53... Kd2 $4 54. Ra2+ $18) 54. Ra1+ Ke2 55. Ra2+ Kf3 $10) 53... Kd2 {A frustrating long think for Lucas, who seemed to have a hard time accepting the we were going to draw after all. To be fair to me, I thought the position was a draw with me forcibly capturing g3, and missed the game line where we trade rooks and the pawn runs but Black survives because White has not yet captured h7.} 54. Rb3 (54. Kxh7 Ke2 55. Ra3 Kf2 56. Ra2+ Kxg3 $10) 54... Ke2 55. Rb2+ Kf3 56. Rxg2 Kxg2 57. g4 Kg3 58. g5 Kg4 59. Kh6 Kf5 60. Kh5 Kf4 {This time, Lucas offered the draw, and I took it without asking him to make a move. After the game, Lucas told me that he was winning at some point, with something about pushing g4. That does make sense to have the extra advance in, but I haven't seen when it can be played without losing the pawn promotion race.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Schuder, Joachim"]
[Black "Vasey, Daniel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Daniel Vasey"]
[ECO "A13"]
[WhiteElo "1585"]
[BlackElo "1559"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[GameId "2229307589046392"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,56,21,4,14,-10,22,22,25,9,1,4,9,4,6,-28,-22,-25,-28,-39,-33,-46,-43,-38,-42,-53,34,-51,-53,23,-47,-59,-57,-64,19,-199,-114,-175,-115,-184,-112,-44,-98,-160,-106,-22,-87,-125,-79,-110,-109,-29991,-29992,-29993,-29994,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29998]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 Be7 5. b3 O-O 6. Bb2 Nbd7 7. Bd3 c6 8. Bc2 e5 9. d3 Re8 10. O-O Bd6 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Nb5 Bf8 $5 {Bb8 was a better response, but I was afraid of Ba3 followed by Nd6. Later my opponent told me he couldn't play Ba3 because of Qa5.} 13. a4 a6 14. Nc3 Nb8 $1 {rerouting the knight to c6 where it is much better placed while also preparing to develop the c8 bishop} 15. Ne2 Nc6 16. Rc1 Bg4 17. h3 $2 {h3 is unnecessary and allows the king side to be too exposed in the long term. Ng3 would have been better, preparing h3 instead.} Bxf3 18. gxf3 Nh5 $5 {This move is speculative, it's unclear if this attack will work but black remains better. A better option was d4, breaking open the center and continue to build on the weaknesses instead of going for an attack right away.} 19. Kh2 Bd6 20. Rg1 Qh4 {I applaud my opponent for not being afraid of e4+, as he will always be able to respond with f4.} 21. Rg2 Re6 22. Ng3 Rg6 23. Qe2 Rf8 $6 {From this point on I had tunnel vision on the king side. Here I missed} (23... Nd4 $1 {which is a crushing tactical shot} {If} 24. exd4 {then} Nf4 {leads to a decisive advantage.}) 24. Rcg1 f5 25. Bd1 $4 {[#] After the game my opponent told me the idea of this move was to prepare f4 to try to force liquidation, unfortunately it's too late. Instead he should have traded on h5, which would have resulted in only a slightly worse position for him.} Qxh3+ {The purpose of the last 2 moves Rf8 and f5 was to prepare this queen sacrifice. Now that the g4 square is covered, this is a forced mate in 5.} 26. Kxh3 Nf4+ 27. exf4 Rh6+ 28. Nh5 Rxh5+ {White resigns. After 29.Kg3 exf4 is checkmate.} 0-1

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.30"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Cheng, Tyler"]
[Black "Thanikonda, Kruti"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "1514"]
[BlackElo "1287"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[GameId "2229308296388910"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,39,21,34,26,32,17,31,22,-19,50,36,55,-46,86,69,118,137,211,163,232,180,233,257,283,267,335,330,391,224,473,598,1448,1393,1647,1789,29993,29994,29997,29998,29999,29999]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 {The Scotch Gambit, a sound opening and dangerous to the unprepared Black player.} h6 $6 {Stopping 5.Nf3-g5, but too slow for an open position.} ({The moves} 4... Nf6) ({and} 4... Bc5 {are popular and good, but neither is a refutation.}) ({Stockfish's first choice} 4... Bb4+ {is only fifth on the human popularity list and scores 67% for White. Black may be equal, but there are lots of ways to go wrong after} 5. c3 dxc3 6. O-O {in a wide-open position with Black falling behind in development.}) 5. O-O $14 Bc5 $6 {It is tempting to try to hang on to the d-pawn, but there is no time for that.} (5... Nf6 6. e5 d5 {is the usual recipe in these positions, but Black's is a little worse here after} 7. Bb5 Nd7 8. Re1) 6. c3 $1 Qf6 (6... dxc3 7. Bxf7+ Kxf7 8. Qd5+ $16) 7. e5 Qd8 8. cxd4 Bb6 (8... d5 $1 9. exd6 Bxd6 10. Qb3 {is better for White, but prevents White from getting an overwhelming advantage.}) 9. d5 Nb8 10. Nc3 Ne7 11. d6 Ng6 12. Qc2 Nh4 (12... O-O $2 13. Qxg6) 13. Qe4 Nxf3+ 14. gxf3 O-O 15. Bxh6 $1 gxh6 16. Qg6+ Kh8 17. Qxh6+ Kg8 18. Kh1 $1 {There are other moves that lead to checkmate, but this is the fastest and most cheeky.} Re8 19. Rg1+ Qg5 20. Rxg5# 1-0

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.09.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "He, Oliver"]
[Black "Arunkumar, Pragit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Oliver He"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "1470"]
[BlackElo "1213"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "163"]
[GameId "2229743809417266"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,163,11,35,21,-15,20,19,40,27,18,15,28,25,31,37,58,29,27,34,-4,22,28,25,55,15,25,11,45,12,26,-44,-11,-38,-49,-97,-107,-107,100,-134,-124,-1,-123,-141,-119,-126,-105,-141,-72,-207,-152,-145,-134,-152,-142,-161,-138,-161,-62,-74,-56,-75,-55,-51,-210,-80,-24,-161,-3,-73,-112,-14,377,-31,99,270,85,59,228,368,314,273,357,282,449,396,511,276,339,280,268,242,365,283,561,53,124,-1,291,182,182,63,189,80,225,79,241,243,263,281,323,304,318,205,324,342,332,330,356,215,362,399,396,397,436,534,759,773,776,776,789,930,1203,1205,1224,1117,1340,1251,1516,2269,29985,29986,29987,29982,29983,29984,29987,29984,29985,29986,29987,29988,29989,29990,29991,29990,29991,29992,29995,29994,29995,29994,29995,29996,29997,29998]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Be7 5. Bg5 b6 6. cxd5 exd5 7. e3 O-O 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. O-O Nbd7 10. Qc2 g6 {This seemed like a weird move to me when he played it but it's actually good.} 11. Bh6 Re8 12. h3 c5 13. Rad1 c4 14. Be2 a6 15. Nb1 $2 Nh5 16. Nh2 $2 {Black is now better because white has two passive knights on b1 and h2.} Ng7 17. Bxg7 $2 {Giving away the bishop pair turned out to be really bad later because he created passed pawns on the queenside and got the open c file.} Kxg7 18. Nd2 Bd6 19. Nhf3 Nf6 20. Rfe1 b5 21. a3 Ne4 22. Rf1 $2 {Rf1 is passive. He has more space so I need to play actively.} Rc8 23. Rc1 {23.Nxe4 would have been better here because after 23...fxe4 24.Nd2 black can't play c3.} c3 24. bxc3 Nxc3 25. Qd3 Nxe2+ 26. Qxe2 Bxa3 27. Ra1 Bb4 28. Rfb1 Bxd2 {If he kept the bishop pair I think he could have won.} 29. Qxd2 Qf6 30. Ne5 Qf5 31. Nd3 Re7 32. Nc5 Rec7 33. Rc1 h5 34. Rc2 h4 35. Rac1 g5 $4 36. Qe2 $4 (36. Ne6+ {I should have played this but I was super focused on calculating a e4, Nxb7 tactic I didn't look at it.}) 36... Kg6 37. e4 dxe4 38. Nxb7 Qf4 $4 (38... Rxc2 39. Rxc2 Rxc2 40. Qxc2 Qd5 41. Nc5 Qxd4 {Black has compensation here. because of his queenside passers.}) 39. Rxc7 Rxc7 40. Rxc7 Qxc7 41. Nc5 (41. Qxe4+ {Would have been better.}) 41... Qb6 42. Qxe4+ Kg7 43. Qb1 a5 44. Qa1 a4 45. Qb2 Qa5 46. d5+ Kg8 47. Nd3 $4 a3 48. Qa2 b4 (48... Qc3 {Black has compensation here because white's queen is passive now.}) 49. Nc1 b3 50. Nxb3 Qe1+ 51. Kh2 Qe5+ 52. g3 {After this the game is basically over.} hxg3+ 53. fxg3 Qxd5 54. Qxa3 Qf3 55. Qa2 Qd5 56. Qc2 Qe6 57. Nd4 Qe5 58. Nf5 Qe6 59. Qc8+ Qxc8 60. Ne7+ Kg7 61. Nxc8 Kg6 62. Nd6 f6 63. g4 Kg7 64. Kg3 Kg6 65. Kf3 Kg7 66. Ke4 Kg6 67. Nc4 Kf7 68. Kf5 Kg7 69. Nd6 Kh6 70. Kxf6 Kh7 71. Kxg5 Kg7 72. h4 Kh7 73. h5 Kg7 74. h6+ Kh7 75. Nf7 Kg8 76. Kg6 Kf8 77. h7 Ke7 78. h8=Q Ke6 79. Qe5+ Kd7 80. Qd6+ Kc8 81. Qe7 Kb8 82. Nd6 {Unknown 1-0 White wins.} 1-0

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Randall, Dylan"]
[Black "Allen, Mitch"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "1372"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[GameId "2216722471346176"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,86,14,24,18,0,0,-2,51,23,66,50,40,31,50,53,86,47,88,30,40,7,6,15,77,45,42,27,38,0,-92,0,2,0,38,64,38,-372,34,131,148,152,160,123,110,105,112,-3,147,-370,-312,-394,-300,-415,-252,-419,-492,-504,-514,-521,-286,-169,-136,-318,-61,-373,-384,-821,-572,-1064,-1369,-1437,-1481,-1522,-948,-1533,-1006,-1624,-1717,-1788,-29988,-29991,-29990,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29998,-29999,-29999]} {Both sides had their chances, but in this tactical battle, Black found is way through the complications to gain the full point.} 1. e4 c5 2. Bc4 {The Bowlder attack. It looks fishy to me, but once you turn on the engine you discover that White is still equal. Perhaps that seems like a small accomplishment for the White pieces, but as someone who has experienced some of the traps along the way, I recognize it as modern chess. White tests Black on his opening knowledge of an obscure line, and if Black passes the test, White can still draw.} Nc6 3. c3 e5 4. Nf3 Be7 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 exd4 7. Nxd4 d6 8. Bb5 Qc7 9. Qc2 Bd7 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. Nc3 a6 12. O-O Nf6 13. Bg5 O-O 14. Nf5 Bxf5 15. exf5 Rac8 16. Rac1 Ng4 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. Nd5 Qh4 (18... Qe5 $1 $19 {Black threatens checkmate on h2 and the knight on d5.}) 19. h3 Ne5 ({The surprising} 19... Qd8 {holds White's advantage to a minimum}) (19... cxd5 $2 20. Qxc8 $16) 20. f6 $1 $16 {Threatens Ne7+ by cutting of the Black queen's defense of e7.} Ng6 $1 {Best defense, though Black still faces problems in this position.} 21. fxg7 Rfe8 22. Nb6 Rc7 {White has been good moves to maintain his advantage, and Black has defended well to keep things from deteriorating. Now White starts to miss some chances.} 23. Qc3 $2 $11 (23. Nd5 Rcc8 24. Ne3 {consolidates an advantage for White}) 23... Qg5 24. Rfd1 $2 {allows Black to take the advantage.} (24. Qg3 $11) 24... Nf4 $1 $19 25. Qf3 (25. Qg3 Ne2+) 25... Ne2+ 26. Kh1 Nxc1 27. Nc4 d5 28. Nd6 Re6 29. Nf5 Rf6 30. g4 Nxa2 31. Qb3 Rxf5 {The second best move, leading to equality if White can find the best response on his next move.} (31... Rc8 $1 32. Ne7+ Kxg7 33. Nxc8 Rxf2 $17 {and White can't take Black's knight on a2.} 34. Qxa2 $2 Qf4) 32. gxf5 $2 (32. Qb8+ Kxg7 33. gxf5 $11 Qf4 34. Rg1+ Kf6 $8 (34... Kh6 35. Rg4 $18) 35. Qd8+ Kxf5) 32... Qxf5 $19 33. Qxa2 Qf3+ 34. Kh2 Qxf2+ 35. Kh1 Qf3+ 36. Kh2 Qxd1 37. Qa3 Rc8 38. Qxa6 Re8 39. Qa3 Re2+ 40. Kg3 Qg1+ 41. Kf3 Qg2+ 42. Kf4 Re4+ 43. Kf5 Qg6# 0-1

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.30"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Razmov, Siana"]
[Black "Nguyen, Khang"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "833"]
[BlackElo "1507"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[GameId "2222561176436817"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,60,23,27,35,35,37,37,36,35,38,36,32,-13,0,4,42,25,51,3,33,-31,-100,-33,-12,-11,18,76,16,21,8,5,8,-8,13,-61,-9,-209,-150,-227,-166,-80,-168,-421,-391,-442,-313,-951,-317,-420,-428,-690,-674,-689,-562,-693,-681,-702,-700,-775,-803,-829,-878]} 1. e4 g6 $1 {Obviously, this is my subjective annotation. But in the age of engines that love space advantages, it is nice to see someone playing in the spirit of Duncan Suttles, an iconoclastic player from the 1960s and 1970s with ties to the Pacific Northwest.} 2. d4 d6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. c3 Nf6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. Bf4 O-O 7. O-O c5 8. d5 Qb6 {Black's queen generates a little queenside activity. But it is clearly cut off from the kingside, right? Check back in 10 moves.} 9. Qc2 e6 10. Bc4 exd5 11. exd5 Nh5 12. Be3 Ne5 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Nd2 Bf5 15. Qb3 Qc7 16. Bh6 Rfe8 17. f3 $2 {a step in the wrong direction, weakening squares around White's king.} Qe7 {And Black's queen continues her journey towards White's king.} 18. Rae1 $2 {appears to pin the bishop on e5 to Black's queen, but appearances are deceiving.} Bxh2+ $1 19. Kxh2 Qh4+ 20. Kg1 Rxe1 21. Bb5 Rxf1+ 22. Nxf1 Ng3 23. Qa4 Qh1+ 24. Kf2 Nxf1 25. Bxf1 Qxh6 26. Qb5 Qh4+ 27. Kg1 Qe1 28. Qxb7 Re8 29. Qb5 Qe3+ 30. Kh1 Re5 0-1

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.09.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Curteman, Alexander"]
[Black "Droege, Charles"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "631"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[GameId "2223641129369701"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,110,11,20,8,25,25,21,38,80,42,-8,0,-16,-8,-15,16,-28,-36,-30,-26,-33,-30,-38,-5,-6,-5,-8,-10,-29,-63,-29,-13,-44,-188,-46,12,-50,-60,-23,-54,-63,-38,-51,-48,-74,-42,-203,-103,-111,-111,-105,-113,-296,-242,-305,-302,-307,-330,-219,-290,-524,-246,-164,-238,-241,-237,-238,-229,-252,-252,-243,-255,-271,-249,-259,-155,-277,-135,-312,-284,-487,-320,-624,-337,-659,-496,-666,-294,-529,-413,-188,-406,-1421,-2332,-29969,-29970,-29971,-29972,-29973,-29974,-29979,-29980,-29985,-29986,-29989,-29990,-29995,-29996,-29997,-29998,-29999,-29999]} {Black plays steady chess, slowly iimproves his position, and brings home the full point.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nc3 $2 ({The theoretical way to play this position is} 5. Nxf6+ Qxf6 (5... gxf6 $5) 6. Nf3 {hoping for Black to fall into the trap} b6 ({but after} 6... h6 {White is still better}) 7. Bd3 Bb7 (7... h6 $16) 8. Bg5 Bxf3 9. Qd2) 5... c5 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. dxc5 Qxd1+ 10. Nxd1 Bxc5 {Black has an easy position, though nowhere close to winning. Even with queens and a pair of minor pieces traded, there is a lot of chess yet to play. The slightly unbalanced pawn structure means that both sides have something to play for - White has a queenside majority, and Black has more influence in the center.} 11. O-O Nd4 12. Nxd4 Bxd4 13. c3 Bc5 14. Bg5 Ne4 15. Be3 O-O 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 17. b4 Nd3 18. Ne3 Rac8 19. c4 b6 20. b5 $6 {White's queenside majority advantage is no longer reelevant - it will be difficult to create a passed pawn from this formation.} (20. a3) 20... Ne5 21. Rac1 Rfd8 22. Rcd1 $6 h6 $6 {making an escape square for the king, to avoid lines like} ({but the move} 22... Rxd1 {is better, if Black avoids} 23. Rxd1 Nxc4 $4 (23... f5 24. Rd4 g5 $1 {threatens to drive the defending knight on e3 away with f5-f4, allowing Black to win a pawn.} {White can keep the pawn with} 25. f4 gxf4 26. Rxf4 {but Black stands well in this position, as his pawn majority (f5, e6) is mobile while White's is blockaded.}) 24. Nxc4 Rxc4 25. Rd8#) 23. f4 $2 (23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 {gives the d-file to Black, but Stockfish says White can still hold on with} 24. f4) 23... Rxd1 $1 24. Rxd1 Nxc4 25. Nxc4 (25. Rc1 Nd6) 25... Rxc4 26. Rd7 $2 ({But} 26. Rd8+ Kh7 27. Rd7 Ra4 28. Rxf7 Kg6 29. Rb7 Rxa2) 26... Rc1+ $1 (26... Ra4 {also wins easily}) 27. Kf2 Rc2+ $1 28. Ke3 Rxa2 {While rook endings are always hard, Black has an overwhelming advantage. In addition to his two extra pawns, the pawns on b5 is vulnerable.} 29. Rd8+ Kh7 30. g4 g6 31. h4 Rb2 32. Rd7 Kg7 33. Rxa7 Rxb5 34. Rb7 Rb4 35. Kf3 b5 36. Ke3 $6 Rb3+ 37. Kd4 Rb4+ 38. Ke5 Rb1 39. Kd6 Rf1 40. Rxb5 Rxf4 41. Rb7 Rxg4 42. Re7 Kf6 43. Kd7 Rxh4 44. Ke8 Ke5 45. Rxf7 Ra4 46. Rg7 Ra8+ 47. Ke7 Ra7+ 48. Kf8 Rxg7 49. Kxg7 g5 50. Kg6 g4 51. Kh5 g3 52. Kh4 $6 g2 53. Kh3 g1=Q 54. Kh4 Kf4 55. Kh5 Qg5# {0-1} 0-1

[Event "75th Oregon Open"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.08.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vijayaraghavan, Pranav Darshan"]
[Black "Chen, Andy"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "1399"]
[BlackElo "1532"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "132"]
[GameId "2229304757047318"]
[EventDate "2025.08.30"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,132,14,26,29,-8,22,84,13,7,29,53,23,69,0,88,0,-9,-1,-4,35,38,36,-76,102,-46,-80,-29,-25,-30,-4,-37,0,10,-102,-72,-153,-62,-60,-56,-34,-41,-17,26,-1,0,0,1,10,27,4,-9,36,-48,52,17,-35,32,-37,-60,1,-64,6,25,24,59,42,42,17,27,24,-32,-194,-46,-15,-68,-64,-168,-51,-59,-64,-62,-57,-55,-60,-45,-19,-33,-23,-15,16,-1,1,1,1,-1,1,146,14,126,131,1,-1,-1,-1,1,1,-1,1,-1,-1,1,-1,-1,1,-1,1,-1,-1,-445,-460,-497,-590,-597,-562,-562,-549,-521,-573,-592,-682,-718,-681,-696,-904]} {Andy Chen the U1700 champion, accepts an isolated pawn in the opening and lives to tell the tale.} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nf6 5. h3 Nc6 6. c3 e5 7. dxe5 Nxe5 8. Bc2 ({more popular are the positional move} 8. Nf3 Nxd3+ 9. Qxd3 {that Jason Cigan played against me in the 2024 Oregon Closed Championship}) ({and the more tactical try} 8. Qe2 $5 {where Black has the choice between the solid} Qe7 ({and the wild} 8... Ne4)) 8... Bd6 9. Nf3 Qe7 10. O-O O-O 11. Be3 Nc4 12. Re1 Nxe3 (12... Nxb2 {is also playable, but takes a lot of courage to play. Andy's move is more sensible.}) 13. Rxe3 Qc7 14. Nbd2 Bc5 15. Re2 Nh5 16. Nb3 Bb6 17. Qd3 g6 18. Rd2 Bf5 19. Qf1 Bxc2 (19... Be4 {is an intersting try.}) 20. Rxc2 Ng3 21. Qd3 Rad8 22. Nbd4 Ne4 {Black piece activity balances the slight weakness the isolated pawn.} 23. Re2 Rfe8 24. Rae1 Qd7 25. Qb1 f5 26. Qc1 Bc7 27. a3 a6 28. Qe3 Re7 29. Ng5 Rde8 30. Nxe4 Rxe4 31. Qd3 Qd6 32. Nf3 R8e7 33. g3 Qe6 34. Nd4 Qd7 35. Rxe4 $6 {The game has been equal for the last 15 moves, but this improves Black's pawn structure resulting in a slight space advantage.} fxe4 36. Qf1 b5 37. Qg2 Bb6 38. Kh2 Qc8 {good, but not best.} (38... Bxd4 {gives up the strong bishop for Black's strong knight and ends all worries about the isolated d-pawn.} 39. cxd4 Qc6 {leaves Black in control of the position.}) 39. Nc2 {Black will not be given a second chance to take the knight.} ({But it is better to protect the knight with} 39. Rd1 {if} Bxd4 40. Rxd4 $11) 39... Rf7 $1 $17 {Black will tie White down to the backward f-pawn} 40. Ne3 Rf3 41. Re2 Qe6 42. Qf1 (42. Nc4 {is a better try} Rxf2 43. Rxf2 Bxf2 44. Qxf2 bxc4 45. Qe3 {is still worse for White, but queen endings can be tricky.}) 42... Qf7 {And stockfish inexplicably goes from clear advantage for Black to roughly equal.} ({Stockfish suggests that Black should soften up White's king position with} 42... h5 43. h4 Qf7 44. Kg2 g5 45. hxg5 h4 46. gxh4 {and now} Rf4 {is the only move to retain an advantage. Not easy to see over the board.}) 43. Kg2 {White gets his king to work for a living, freeing up one of his major pieces to generate counterplay.} Bxe3 44. Rxe3 Kf8 45. Qe2 Rf5 46. f3 exf3+ 47. Rxf3 Rxf3 48. Qxf3 Qxf3+ 49. Kxf3 {An equal pawn endgame. But pawn endings are surprisingly difficult to play well, as I have learned trying to work the lichess pawn ending puzzles.} Kf7 50. Ke3 Ke6 51. g4 g5 52. Kd4 Kd6 53. b3 a5 54. a4 bxa4 55. bxa4 Kc6 56. c4 $1 {only move to maintain equality.} (56. Ke3 Kc5 57. Kd3 h6 $1 {Black uses his reserve pawn move to win.} 58. Kd2 Kc4 59. Kc2 d4 $1 $19) 56... dxc4 57. Kxc4 h6 $1 {in the game, Black uses his reserve pawn move to hold the draw. All other moves lose.} 58. Kd4 {Black has the opposition, White has the more advanced king. Still equal.} Kd6 59. Ke4 $2 (59. Kc4 $1 Kc6 (59... Ke5 $2 60. Kb5 {and White is promoting his a-pawn long before Black promotes one of his kingside pawns.}) 60. Kd4 Kd6 $11) 59... Kc5 $1 $19 {Now the shoe is on the other foot. Black promotes his a-pawn long before White promotes one of his kingside pawns.} 60. Kf5 Kb4 61. Kg6 Kxa4 62. Kxh6 Kb3 63. Kxg5 a4 64. h4 a3 65. h5 a2 66. h6 a1=Q 0-1

[Event "2025 Seattle Chess Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.08.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Wentz, Austin"]
[Black "Pikh, Akim"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Wentz,Austin"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "1701"]
[BlackElo "1959"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[GameId "2233203237064757"]
[EventDate "2025.08.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,85,33,14,17,14,31,19,36,6,5,2,23,19,25,12,20,-1,10,-41,15,8,0,-3,3,-23,59,4,13,3,3,3,25,13,-7,16,18,10,9,-12,11,-33,-33,-32,-27,-33,29,-13,-4,1,0,0,54,100,49,47,43,43,116,217,198,204,165,176,222,237,239,239,247,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,82,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 {An energetic variation of the Ruy Lopez championed by none other than Fabiano Caruana. Black develops the bishop actively, hoping to generate dynamic play. Since I didn't have much experience with this variation, I decided to play an objectively less challenging move to avoid a theoretical battle.} 7. d3 (7. Nxe5 Nxe5 8. d4 Bxd4 9. Qxd4 d6 10. f4 Nc6 11. Qc3 Bb7 12. e5 Ne4 13. Qe3 Na5 14. Nd2 Nxb3 15. axb3 Nxd2 16. Bxd2 O-O 17. Bc3 dxe5 18. Qxe5 $11) 7... O-O 8. Bg5 {Preventing the thematic d5 break by Black.} h6 9. Bh4 Be7 {A symbolic victory. Black retreated the active bishop, but in reality White doesn't have much here.} 10. Re1 d6 11. c3 Nh5 $5 {This move caught me by surprise, so I took my first serious think of the game.} 12. Bd5 $5 Bb7 $6 {My opponent seemed worried about losing a pawn, but Black can actually take on h4.} (12... Bxh4 13. Bxc6 Rb8 14. g3 ({Not...} 14. Nxe5 $4 Bxf2+ $1 15. Kxf2 Qh4+ $1 $19) 14... Be7 {And White can't play...} 15. Nxe5 {due to...} dxe5 16. Qxh5 Qxd3 $17) 13. Bxe7 {Missing a chance to win a pawn.} (13. Nxe5 Nxe5 (13... dxe5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Qxh5 $16) 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Bxb7 Ra7 16. Qxh5 Rxb7 17. Qe2 $16 ({Not...} 17. d4 $2 Nd3 18. Re3 Nxb2 $11)) 13... Qxe7 14. Nd4 $5 exd4 ({If...} 14... Nxd4 $4 15. Bxb7 Rab8 $18 {and Black wish they had 2 moves in a row.}) 15. Qxh5 dxc3 16. bxc3 {During the game, I thought White was better here because of increased central control, but the computer claims the position is equal. With fewer pieces on the board, its difficult for White to generate any real chances.} Rab8 17. Nd2 Nd8 18. Bb3 {Attempting to keep Black's bishop bad.} Ne6 19. Re3 c5 20. Nf1 {Trying to keep the option of a rook swing open.} Qf6 21. Rc1 Nf4 22. Qf3 Qg5 23. Rce1 {I played this move since Black was threatening Nxd3. However, to quote Hikaru, the computer literally doesnt care and just sacks the rook.} (23. Ng3 Nxd3 24. h4 $1 Qf4 (24... Qxh4 25. Rxd3 c4 $1 26. Rxd6 cxb3 27. axb3 $11) 25. Rxd3 Qxc1+ 26. Rd1 Qb2 $1 $11 {Apparently the only move that doesn't lose for Black, but I will leave it to you dear reader to analyze this.}) (23. h4 {can also be played immediately, since Black can't take due to..} Qxh4 24. g3 $18 {but that's not as cool.}) 23... Bc8 24. Qg3 {Black's queen is rather annoying and White wouldn't mind an endgame.} Qf6 25. Rf3 $5 Qxc3 {And with that, we arrive at one of the most beautifully complex positions Ive ever seen. Ill try to do it justice, but its impossible to cover everything. If youve made it this far, take a moment to analyze it yourself: how should White continue, and whats the evaluation?} 26. Qxf4 $1 {This is objectively the strongest continuation. White launches an immediate counterattack, ignoring the hanging rook on e1.} (26. Ree3 {This is also an interesting but rather unintuitive move. Ill just give the top computer line.} Ne6 27. Qxd6 Rb7 28. Qxa6 Rd7 29. Qxb5 Nd4 30. Qc4 Nxf3+ 31. Rxf3 Qxc4 32. Bxc4 $17) 26... Qxe1 27. Bxf7+ $1 {The only move.} ({If...} 27. Qxd6 Be6 $1 $19 {and Black is an exchange up for no compensation.}) 27... Kh8 28. Qxd6 $1 {The obvious follow-up—anything else simply loses. Now its Blacks turn to find the only moves!} Bg4 $1 {Suddenly, it looks as if White is in huge trouble because of Blacks threat of Be2—but White has an ace up their sleeve!} 29. Rf6 $3 {Now it looks like Black is busted, but it turns out that they can survive with an amazing move.} Qc1 $3 {The brilliance of this move can only be fully appreciated after analyzing the ensuing complications. It looks counterintuitive because of Whites next move, but it actually saves the game!} ({The immediate...} 29... Rxf7 {fails due to...} 30. Qxb8+ Kh7 31. Rxf7 Be2 32. h4 Qxf1+ 33. Kh2 {and without the inclusion of f4 Black has no counter play.}) 30. f4 {Cutting off the queen from defending h6, but also shutting out White's queen from defending her own monarch!} Rxf7 $1 31. Qxb8+ Kh7 32. Rxf7 Be2 $1 33. Kf2 Qxf1+ 34. Kg3 Qe1+ 35. Kh3 h5 {Threatening Bg4 mate!} 36. Rxg7+ {At this point we were both playing on increment and I bailed out early, but White can keep testing Black!} (36. g3 Bf1+ $1 (36... Qf1+ $4 37. Kh4 $18 Qg2 38. h3 (38. Kg5 Qh3 $1 {and White has to bail out with} 39. Rxg7+ $11) 38... Bf1 39. Qc8 $1 $18 (39. Kg5 $4 Qxg3+ 40. Kf5 Bxh3+ 41. Ke5 Qxd3 $19)) 37. Kh4 Qe2 $1 38. h3 Bxh3 $1 39. Kxh3 (39. Kg5 $4 Qg4#) 39... Qg4+ $11 40. Kg2 Qe2+ $11) 36... Kxg7 37. Qe5+ Kf8 38. Qf6+ Ke8 39. Qe6+ Kd8 40. Qd6+ Ke8 41. Qe6+ Kd8 42. Qd6+ Ke8 43. Qe6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "2025 Seattle Chess Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.08.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Degenbaev, Aziz"]
[Black "Sundaram, Siddarth"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Aziz Degenbaev"]
[ECO "C84"]
[WhiteElo "2387"]
[BlackElo "2401"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[GameId "2233203237064758"]
[EventDate "2025.08.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "90+30"]

{[%evp 0,62,25,16,25,12,18,7,25,0,13,16,6,4,20,29,16,0,22,25,8,-13,16,-32,-21,-14,-4,-12,-12,-37,-18,-5,-2,-8,-12,-11,-9,-9,33,19,15,16,19,6,28,0,36,47,41,47,33,48,59,0,1,-3,5,8,46,38,12,37,22,14,5] My opponent and I both entered this round with a perfect 4/4 score. I had the white pieces and was eager to make use of that advantage. However, I had just finished an intense 4.5 hour game and only had a short 15 minute break, so I couldn’t prepare as well as I wanted. Still, I was motivated to keep my winning streak going} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4 {Since we had played this variation against each other before, I anticipated a similar continuation. Surprisingly, he deviated from our previous game and chose a different line, which caught me slightly off guard} b4 {I guess it was more of a sideline, since the main move here is Bd7, which leads to a lot of established theory. In this position, as I remember, Black has several possible continuations} 9. a5 {I consider this the best and most logical move. Its main purpose is to prevent Black from playing …a5 and consolidating their b4 pawn, which would otherwise give them a comfortable queenside expansion. Later, White can consider ideas like Ba4 or Ra4, increasing pressure on the b4 pawn} O-O 10. h3 (10. c3 {I should have played c3 here instead of wasting time, immediately asking Black how they plan to proceed. The variation could continue like this} Be6 11. Ba4 Nxa5 12. cxb4 Nb7 13. d4 $16 {This would lead to a slight advantage for White, since Black’s knight on b7 is misplaced and White has established control over the center}) 10... Rb8 11. c3 bxc3 12. bxc3 Be6 (12... d5 {He could have played this move immediately to gain space in the center} 13. Nbd2 dxe4 14. dxe4 Qd3 $1 15. Qc2 Qxc2 16. Bxc2 Rd8 17. Nc4 Rb5 $13 {With an unclear position}) 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Nbd2 Nh5 (14... d5 {Again ...d5 was possible} 15. Re1 Bc5 16. Qc2 Qd7 $13) 15. Nc4 Rb5 (15... Nf4 $6 {It looks like a logical move after …Nh5, but since Black had doubled pawns on e6 and e5, I wanted to trade some pieces and leave him with those structural weaknesses} 16. Bxf4 Rxf4 (16... exf4 $2 17. d4 $16) 17. Rb1 Rf8 18. Qa4 Qd7 19. Ne3 $14) 16. Re1 {I was maintaining some tension in the position while gradually improving my pieces. My plan was to wait and see how Black would proceed, but first I wanted to ensure that my pieces were well-coordinated and active} Qe8 17. Be3 Qg6 18. Qe2 {I continued to hold the tension while preparing a potential rook lift to b1. I was also keeping an eye on Black’s f8 rook - if it moved, I planned to play Reb1 instantly, preventing him from reinforcing the b-file with Rfb8} Nf4 19. Bxf4 exf4 (19... Rxf4 20. Reb1 Rc5 21. Rb7 $14) 20. Reb1 {I thought that exchanging a pair of rooks would be good for me. My plan was to place my queen on a2, where she would both pressure the e6 pawn and defend the a5 pawn at the same time. That would free my rook to move toward the center and prepare for a possible d4 break} Rfb8 21. Rxb5 Rxb5 22. Qa2 (22. d4 {d4 immediately was also possible, for example} h6 23. Ncd2 Qe8 24. Qc4 Qd7 $14 {With the game still going}) 22... d5 23. exd5 exd5 24. Nce5 Nxe5 25. Nxe5 Qe6 26. d4 $2 {This was a mistake. White’s advantage disappeared, and the position has now become equal} (26. Re1 $1 {This continuation was preferable, since it avoids wasting time with d4 and allows me to develop Nf3, which was part of my plan anyway. Additionally, White gains a tempo by threatening the queen on e6, while maintaining the original strategic ideas} Bd6 27. Nf3 Qd7 28. Nd4 {Another idea of not playing d4} Rc5 29. Ne6 $16 {With a big advantage for white}) 26... Bd6 27. Re1 h6 28. Nf3 Qf5 29. c4 dxc4 30. Qxc4+ Qd5 31. Qc2 Rb8 {The game ended in a draw, as neither side had any clear targets. My earlier advantage had completely dissipated. Although both sides have pawn weaknesses on a5 and a6, they are well-defended and hard to attack effectively} 1/2-1/2

[Event "2025 Seattle Chess Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.08.16"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kulick, Noah"]
[Black "Sundaram, Siddarth"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "D53"]
[WhiteElo "1832"]
[BlackElo "2401"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[GameId "2211622431338496"]
[EventDate "2025.08.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "90+30"]

{[%evp 0,66,35,19,20,22,22,6,12,19,22,11,17,17,13,-1,4,5,35,25,49,40,45,45,99,99,99,79,90,-75,-76,-76,-84,-130,-80,-75,-71,-309,-301,-307,-300,-308,-348,-356,-363,-368,-368,-360,-367,-405,-364,-407,-394,-410,-418,-420,-405,-436,-412,-416,-422,-418,-410,-427,-427,-458,-461,-455,-433]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 O-O 8. e3 Bf5 ({Provocative, discouraging the aggressive placement of the white bishop on d3, but leaving behind some weakened light squares on the queenside.} 8... b6 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. O-O (10. Qc2 c5 11. O-O) (10. Ne5 $5) 10... Nbd7 $14 {is fairly normal.}) 9. Qb3 (9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qb3 {could transpose into the game while avoiding a possible ...g5.}) 9... c6 (9... g5 10. Bg3 Nc6 11. Rc1 $14 (11. Qxb7 Nb4 12. Rc1 Rb8 13. Qxc7 Qxc7 14. Bxc7 Rb7 {offers Black pretty decent compensation.} (14... Rbc8 {is less clear:} 15. a3 Nc2+ 16. Kd2 Rxc7 17. Bd3 Bxd3 18. Kxd3 Nxa3 19. bxa3 Rfc8 20. Rc2 Bxa3 (20... Ne4 $4 21. Nxd5 $1 Rxc2 22. Nxe7+ Kf8 23. Nxc8 $18) 21. Nd2 Bb4 22. Ndb1 $13))) 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qxb7 $1 ({Of course it's necessary to grab the cheese and to dive into the gambit-style complications now, even if it looks a bit like a prepared trap. After a quiet alternative like} 11. Be2 Qb6 $15 {White has gifted the bishop-pair for less than nothing.}) 11... Nd7 $5 (11... Qb6 12. Qxb6 axb6 13. Kd2 Z0 {and} 14. Bd3 {doesn't offer much for the pawn, so Black offers more.}) 12. Qxc6 $1 Rb8 13. Bb5 ({White again finds the most incisive continuation, temporarily blocking the b-file and keeping the threat to the d-pawn. But} 13. Qxd5 {must have been tempting. Three extra pawns, right?} Be6 14. Qe4 Rxb2 {Down to two.} 15. Bd3 g6 {Threat: ...Bf5.} 16. Qc6 Qa5 {Threats: ...Rb6 or ...Nb8.} 17. Rc1 Nb6 {Threat: ...Rc8.} 18. Qc5 Qxc5 19. dxc5 Bxc3+ 20. Rxc3 Nd5 21. Rc1 Nb4 22. Bb1 Bxa2 {One now.} 23. O-O $1 Bd5 $13 {Black has activity to compensate for the pawn. It's still a game.}) 13... Nb6 14. O-O $2 ({There's a very subtle net being cast here, and White doesn't see it. Moving the bishop is necessary in order to begin a rather tortuous queen extraction.} 14. Be2 Be7 15. Qb5) ({or} 14. Ba6 Be7 15. Qb5 {give White fair chances to regroup while maintaining some of the extra cheddar.}) 14... Be7 $3 {Sneaky. The queen finds her paths home cut off. Threat: ...Bd7.} 15. Ne5 f6 16. Nxd5 (16. Bd3 fxe5 17. Bxf5 Rxf5 18. Qe6+ Rf7 $17) 16... fxe5 (16... Nxd5) 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. a4 $2 (18. Qc5 Qxc5 19. dxc5 Nd7 20. Bxd7 Bxd7 21. Rfd1 Bc6 $17 {Sometimes three pawns compensate for a piece. This is really not one of those times, but it's still White's best chance.}) 18... Rbc8 19. Qf3 Bd3 $19 20. Qxf8+ Rxf8 21. Bxd3 exd4 22. exd4 Qb4 23. a5 Nd5 24. Rae1 Qxd4 25. Be4 Nf6 26. Bb7 Qxb2 27. a6 Rd8 28. Rd1 Rd2 29. Rxd2 Qxd2 30. Bf3 Qd6 31. Bb7 Nd7 32. g3 Nc5 33. Rc1 Kf7 0-1

[Event "2025 Seattle Chess Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.08.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Lin, Michael"]
[Black "Jiang, Brandon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "A41"]
[WhiteElo "1923"]
[BlackElo "2181"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[GameId "2212090029191168"]
[EventDate "2025.08.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "90+30"]

{[%evp 0,90,25,13,75,26,13,-19,-5,-13,17,4,6,14,16,9,14,5,24,4,2,-1,2,-20,-7,-8,-15,-7,20,-11,0,-10,-18,-48,28,-53,-2,-22,-1,2,-12,-232,-247,-310,-326,-349,-262,-318,-333,-427,-418,-435,-448,-455,-455,-459,-397,-398,-403,-405,-409,-415,-410,-410,-388,-410,-410,-420,-420,-435,-438,-439,-427,-450,-446,-467,-446,-446,-446,-446,-452,-500,-500,-504,-511,-528,-536,-586,-608,-634,-650,-671,-535]} 1. d4 d6 2. c4 e5 {There's a young IM who posts online game videos on YouTube in which he heavily advocates for two "unbeatable" openings: Colle/Zukertort for White (d4, Nf3, e3, Bd3, b3, Bb2) and Philidor/Old Indian for Black (...d6, ...e5). Makes you wonder what happens if Black meets the C/Z with 1...d6.} 3. d5 Be7 4. e4 Bg5 5. Nf3 (5. Nd2 $13) 5... Bxc1 6. Qxc1 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bd3 a5 9. O-O Na6 10. Nd2 Nh5 11. g3 g6 12. Qd1 Bh3 13. Re1 Ng7 14. Bf1 Bxf1 15. Nxf1 (15. Rxf1 f5 (15... Nc5 16. Nb3) 16. exf5 gxf5 (16... Nxf5 17. Nde4) 17. f4) 15... f5 16. exf5 gxf5 17. f4 Qf6 18. Ne3 Rae8 19. fxe5 dxe5 20. Rf1 $4 ({LPDO: Loose Pieces Drop Off.} 20. Kh1 $13 {anticipates the pin.}) 20... Qb6 21. c5 (21. Re1 f4 $19) 21... Qxc5 22. Qd3 Nb4 23. Qd2 f4 24. Ne4 Qxe3+ 25. Qxe3 fxe3 26. Nf6+ Rxf6 27. Rxf6 Nc2 28. Rc1 e2 29. Kf2 e1=Q+ 30. Rxe1 Nxe1 31. Kxe1 Rf8 32. Rh6 Rd8 33. Rh4 Rxd5 34. Rc4 c6 35. Ke2 Ne6 36. Rg4+ Kf7 37. Rh4 Kg6 38. Rg4+ Kf5 39. Rh4 Rd7 40. Rh5+ Ke4 41. Rh4+ Kd5 42. Kd3 Rf7 43. Ke2 Nd4+ 44. Kd1 Rf1+ 45. Kd2 Nf3+ 0-1

[Event "2025 Seattle Chess Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.08.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kesavan, Vihaan"]
[Black "Das, Sambuddha Sekhar"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "C15"]
[WhiteElo "1376"]
[BlackElo "1394"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[GameId "2211970021765120"]
[EventDate "2025.08.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "90+30"]

{[%evp 0,93,19,33,47,41,30,38,30,25,11,-11,17,10,29,21,59,34,34,42,47,22,8,-18,-16,-6,7,-10,-7,1,35,-14,-3,-63,-5,-66,-69,-124,-129,-127,-119,-134,-115,-100,-100,-120,-112,-157,-165,-180,-183,-172,-176,-366,-131,-131,-126,-129,-129,-133,-110,-110,-101,-103,-106,-94,-96,-109,-109,-124,-121,-179,-112,-116,-106,-122,-114,-122,-104,-113,-98,-95,-101,-121,-94,-105,-111,-100,-100,-108,-116,-122,-115,-100,-116,-116]} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bd3 ({Unusual. Normal is} 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 {reaching positions seen thousands of times.}) 4... c5 ({Now the most common line runs} 4... dxe4 5. Bxe4 Nf6 6. Bf3 {with rough equality.}) 5. Bb5+ (5. exd5 Qxd5 (5... exd5 6. dxc5) (5... cxd4 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Qxd4 Bxc3+ 9. Qxc3 $16) 6. Bd2 Bxc3 (6... Qxd4 7. Nf3) (6... Qxg2 $4 7. Be4) 7. Bxc3 cxd4 8. Bxd4 Qxg2 9. Qf3 Qxf3 10. Nxf3 f6 11. Rg1 Kf7 12. O-O-O {gives White a great deal of development and the bishop-pair, while Black has an extra pawn. Let's call it unclear.}) 5... Nc6 6. exd5 exd5 7. Nf3 a6 8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. O-O Ne7 10. h3 O-O 11. Bf4 Ng6 12. Bg3 Bf5 13. a3 Bxc3 14. bxc3 Qa5 $6 (14... c4 $5 {disallows future use of d4, among other things.}) 15. Qd2 (15. Bd6 Rfe8 16. dxc5 Qxc3 17. Nd4 $14) 15... Rfe8 16. Ra2 ({This seems unnecessarily passive.} 16. dxc5 $5 Qxc5 17. Nd4 Bd7 $13) 16... Qb5 (16... Be4 $5 17. Ne5 cxd4 (17... Nxe5 18. dxe5) 18. Nxc6 dxc3 (18... Qxc3 19. Qxc3 dxc3 20. f3 (20. Nd4 Nf8) 20... Bf5 21. Nd4) 19. Nxa5 cxd2 20. Rd1 Bxc2 21. Rxd2 Re1+ 22. Kh2 Bf5 $15) 17. Raa1 Re2 18. Rab1 $2 (18. Qg5 Bxc2 19. dxc5) 18... Rxd2 19. Rxb5 axb5 20. Nxd2 cxd4 (20... Rxa3 21. dxc5 Rxc3 22. Nf3 Be4 23. Nd4 Rxc5 $17) 21. cxd4 Rxa3 22. Re1 h6 23. Rc1 Rc3 24. Nf3 (24. Nb3) 24... Rxc2 (24... Bxh3) 25. Rxc2 Bxc2 26. Ne5 $2 (26. Bd6) 26... Nxe5 $2 (26... b4 27. Nxg6 (27. Nxc6 b3 28. Nb4 b2) 27... b3 28. Ne7+ Kh7 29. Nxc6 b2 $19) 27. Bxe5 b4 28. Bd6 b3 29. Ba3 f6 30. Kf1 Kf7 31. Ke2 Ke6 32. Kd2 g5 33. Ke2 Kf5 34. Ke3 h5 35. g3 (35. f3 h4) 35... g4 $4 (35... h4 $19 {locks the white h-pawn on h3, where it will eventually become a target for the bishop.}) 36. h4 Be4 37. Bb2 Ke6 38. Ba3 Kd7 39. Kd2 Kc7 40. Kc3 Bc2 41. Kb4 Kb6 42. Bb2 Bd1 43. Ba1 Ka6 44. Bb2 Kb6 45. Ba1 Bc2 46. Bb2 Bd1 47. Ba1 1/2-1/2

[Event "2025 Seattle Chess Classic"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.08.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Jiang, Brandon"]
[Black "Degenbaev, Aziz"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2181"]
[BlackElo "2387"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "162"]
[GameId "2212097629286400"]
[EventDate "2025.08.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "90+30"]

{[%evp 0,162,32,41,58,49,48,40,60,28,41,43,26,32,18,26,14,0,46,40,99,61,67,53,59,60,93,72,80,49,45,0,61,53,53,56,47,40,31,28,24,27,24,21,26,26,18,6,-24,-4,-9,-9,0,-27,-40,-40,-48,-58,-58,-69,-28,-89,-98,-115,-96,-170,-169,-43,0,0,0,0,-2,0,-2,0,22,-29,0,-13,-6,0,24,33,54,33,53,59,84,91,75,96,150,193,167,247,247,269,354,354,359,220,380,360,661,-128,-156,-47,-29,-26,-14,-14,-5,-4,-4,-5,-5,-12,-2,-8,-7,-251,-259,-284,-252,-492,-511,-525,-348,-210,-202,-87,-2,-2,0,-475,-484,-504,-515,-515,-526,-517,-527,-534,-2,-99,-126,-64,-61,-76,-62,-185,-457,-218,-175,-960,-1002,-1004,-785,-1746,-1227,-1381,-1679,-1420,-28449]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. O-O a6 (5... Nc7 6. Bxc6 dxc6 {is theory.}) 6. Bc4 (6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. d3 {, when Black has spent a move on ...a6, instead of beginning the reroute of the knight to d4 via c7 and e6.}) 6... Nb6 7. d3 d5 8. exd6 Qxd6 9. Bb3 Na5 10. h3 Nxb3 11. axb3 e6 12. Re1 Nd7 13. Nc3 Be7 14. Bg5 f6 15. Nb5 axb5 16. Rxa8 Nb6 17. Rxc8+ Nxc8 18. Bd2 O-O 19. Qe2 e5 20. Qe4 Qd7 21. Ra1 Nb6 22. Ra7 Rb8 23. g4 Nc8 24. Ra1 Qe6 25. Nh4 Nd6 26. Qg2 c4 27. bxc4 bxc4 28. dxc4 Qxc4 29. Be3 Rd8 30. c3 Qb3 31. Ra7 e4 32. Bf4 Qxb2 ({Stockfish prefers} 32... e3 33. fxe3 g5 34. Bxd6 Bxd6 35. Nf3 Bc5 $15 {with initiative.}) 33. Bxd6 Bxd6 34. Qxe4 {And now, a short tactical interlude.} Bg3 $1 35. Qc4+ $1 Kh8 36. Qd4 $1 Bc7 37. Qb4 {Bravo to both players for sharing the last three moves with our viewing audience.} Qe2 38. Ra1 b6 39. Kg2 Qe6 40. Qb5 g6 41. Nf3 Qd6 (41... Qd5) 42. Re1 Kg7 43. Qc4 Rf8 (43... Qd7 44. Nd4 $14) 44. Re6 Qd7 45. Rc6 Rf7 $4 (45... Bd8 {avoids anything concrete, for the moment.}) 46. Nd4 Be5 47. Ne6+ Kh6 48. Rxb6 (48. h4) 48... Qd2 49. Qe4 Qxc3 50. Rb4 g5 51. h4 gxh4 52. Rb1 $4 ({This part is going to get painful for White to rehash. White misses a win:} 52. Qf5 $3 h3+ (52... Qxb4 53. Qh5#) 53. Kf1 Qa1+ (53... Qc1+ 54. Ke2 {and no more checks!}) 54. Rb1 Qa6+ 55. Kg1 h2+ 56. Kh1 Qc6+ 57. f3 {and Black must part with the queen to avoid mate.}) 52... h3+ 53. Kh1 Re7 54. g5+ $1 fxg5 55. Nxg5 $1 Kxg5 56. f4+ $1 Kh6 57. fxe5 Qxe5 58. Qh4+ (58. Qxe5 {Rook endings with any number of extra h-pawns is a trivial draw.}) 58... Kg7 59. Rg1+ Kh8 60. Qxh3 (60. Qg4) 60... Re6 {A hint of a threat.} 61. Rf1 Qd5+ 62. Qf3 $2 (62. Rf3) 62... Rh6+ 63. Kg2 Qd2+ $4 (63... Qg8+ $1 64. Kf2 (64. Qg3 Rg6) 64... Rh2+ 65. Ke3 Rh3 66. Qxh3 Qb3+ 67. Kf2 Qxh3 $19) 64. Rf2 Rg6+ 65. Kh2 Qh6+ 66. Qh3 Qc1 67. Qf1 $4 ({Spectacular opportunity missed:} 67. Rf8+ Kg7 68. Rf7+ $3 Kxf7 69. Qf1+ $3 Qxf1 {stalemate.}) 67... Qc7+ 68. Kh1 Rh6+ 69. Kg1 Qg7+ 70. Rg2 Qd4+ 71. Rf2 (71. Qf2 Qd1+ 72. Qf1 Rh1+ 73. Kxh1 Qxf1+ $19) 71... Rh5 $4 ({If I understand the ending, the proper winning method is to transfer the move to White in this position.} 71... Qg7+ 72. Rg2 Qa7+ $1 73. Rf2 Qd4 $1 {Now} 74. Qe2 (74. Qe1 Rg6+ 75. Kf1 Qd3+ 76. Re2 (76. Qe2 Qb1+ 77. Qe1 Rg1+) 76... Qf3+ 77. Rf2 Qh1+ 78. Ke2 Re6+) 74... Qg7+ 75. Rg2 Qa1+ 76. Kf2 Rf6+ {brings the king out into the open. For example,} 77. Kg3 Qc3+ 78. Kg4 Rg6+ 79. Kh4 Qf6+ 80. Kh3 Rh6+ 81. Kg3 Qh4+ 82. Kf3 Rf6+ 83. Ke3 Re6+ $19 {Zugzwang in major piece endings can be tough to pull off.}) 72. Qg2 Ra5 73. Qg3 Rb5 74. Qf4 Qg7+ 75. Rg2 Qa1+ 76. Kf2 Qa7+ 77. Kf3 $4 (77. Kg3 Qg7+ 78. Kh4 $1 (78. Kh2 {works as well, but requires a bit more accurate dodging and weaving.}) 78... Qe7+ (78... Qxg2 79. Qf8+ Qg8 80. Qf6+ Qg7 81. Qd8+) 79. Kh3 Rb4 80. Qg5) 77... Rb3+ 78. Kg4 Qd7+ 79. Kh5 (79. Qf5 Rb4+ 80. Kg5 Rb5) 79... Rh3+ 80. Kg5 Qd5+ 81. Kf6 Rf3 {A good grapple, with big swings and tight escapes.} 0-1

