[Event "WA State Champioonship: Premier"]
[Site "Seattle, WA"]
[Date "2026.02.21"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Summerfield, William"]
[Black "Li, Shawn"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "William Summerfield"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2049"]
[BlackElo "1791"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[GameId "2299916379324710"]
[EventDate "2026.02.06"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,71,25,13,30,18,18,7,13,20,21,11,41,36,30,37,66,37,48,47,45,45,67,34,26,4,55,57,64,74,67,26,96,56,68,42,41,8,1,9,0,-23,0,0,73,423,353,359,367,403,1235,1264,1270,1282,1291,1304,1296,1321,1329,1315,1352,1373,1381,1409,1416,896,905,919,951,962,984,977,995,982]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 {We initially developed into an Indian game.} d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bf4 a6 6. e3 O-O 7. Rc1 b6 8. a3 Bb7 9. cxd5 {I did not want to allow his bishop to participate in the battle. So, I exchanged the pawn, knowing that recapturing with the pawn was his only decent option.} exd5 10. Bd3 h6 11. g4 c5 12. Rg1 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Ne4 14. Bxe4 dxe4 15. Qc2 {This move was a mistake. because even though it pressures the e4 pawn, my opponent still has a lot of compensation with good development opportunities.} Qc8 16. Nf5 {This was another slight mistake. Nd5 would have put more pressure on his pieces.} Qe6 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7 18. g5 hxg5 19. Rxg5 Nd7 20. Qd1 Nc5 {This move is a mistake because it allows White to put pressure on the black king.} 21. Rxg7+ $3 {This was the key move to capitalize on my advantage. When I first considered this rook sacrifice, I remembered The Gotham Chess meme about sacking the rook. I could hear Levi’s loud voice imploring me to “sack the rook!” I didn’t see a check mate, but I thought I would have a great positional advantage and gain some material. I envisioned capturing a queen and two pawns in exchange for my two rooks. Before committing to the sacrifice, I spent about 15 minutes analyzing and verifying that every combination of moves by my opponent would be losing.} Kxg7 22. Qg4+ Kh8 {...Kh8 and ...Kh7 were Black’s only good options because if ...Kf6, there is Bg5+ with loss of the queen.} 23. Qh5+ Kg8 24. Ke2 {Ke2 is the only move that maintains the large advantage. This quiet move allows the rook to join the attack.} f6 25. Rg1+ Qg7 26. Rxg7+ Kxg7 27. Bh6+ Kh7 28. Bxf8+ Kg8 29. Bxc5 bxc5 30. Qg6+ Kh8 31. Qxf6+ Kg8 32. Nd5 {This knight sacrifice is a nice finishing touch to the game because Black’s best option is to capture the knight. But White still has Qg5+ to win the black bishop.} Bxd5 33. Qg5+ Kf8 34. Qxd5 Re8 35. Qxc5+ Kf7 36. Qh5+ {After Qh5+, my opponent resigned because I was going to sack the queen for the rook and eventually win an endgame of five pawns against two pawns.} 1-0

[Event "WA State Championship: Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2026.02.21"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Willy, Stephen"]
[Black "Porter, Ryan W"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ryan Porter"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2283"]
[BlackElo "2281"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[GameId "2299917019264220"]
[EventDate "2026.02.21"]

{[%evp 0,59,25,13,20,-10,4,13,35,36,37,33,27,29,15,25,25,-21,13,11,-8,35,27,5,0,8,-22,24,27,0,24,16,69,26,10,39,27,27,34,4,26,-1,-5,-24,-42,-4,0,10,46,51,32,36,36,58,66,79,110,-24,51,90,116,93] I chose to annotate this game for two reasons: (1) At the time, I was half a point behind Stephen, who was in clear first at 4/5. It became moot after he ran away from the field, but it felt important at the time. (2) It's an opportunity to discuss how I handle shaky memory of opening prep. I've never been blessed with a great memory, and (spoiler alert!) it doesn't get better with age. So, I've gotten quite a bit of practice at this.} 1. d4 {I was already surprised, since Stephen normally plays e4.} d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 {This is probably my third most common response to d4, which I chose because I figured he would be better prepared for other lines that I had played more commonly recently.} 4. e4 {The start of the Marshall Gambit, which is a very sharp opening. In retrospect, perhaps allowing such a dynamic option was a mistake against a player who thrives in such positions. Given the speed with which he played the following moves, I certainly didn't enter a position that he was less familiar with.} dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxd4 7. Bxb4 Qxe4+ 8. Be2 Na6 9. Ba5 b6 10. Qd6 Bd7 11. Bc3 f6 12. O-O-O {Here I went into the tank for my first serious think. I've studied this position several times, but there are multiple related lines that always confuse me. White can either play Rd1 or O-O-O, before or after playing Nf3. Black's best response can either be Nc5, Rd8, or O-O-O, based on what combination white plays. So, now's a good time to discuss some lessons I've learned about how to handle such situations. (1) No matter how certain you are that a move is theory, don't play it if you don't like the position at the end of your over-the-board analysis (unless, of course, you like the alternatives even less). One reason is that the mind has a great capacity to find the nearest match and trick you into thinking you've seen a position when it's actually subtly different. Another reason is that you have to play the resulting position yourself. If you don't like it, then you probably don't know how to play it well. (This approach actually hurt me in a separate game in this tournament, but I have no regrets. Instead, my takeaway is that I need to lock in more when studying openings, so that I do some of this analysis ahead of time, while studying.) (2) Do your own analysis of the position over the board, trying your best to not base it on lines you think you remember. I find this to be much more productive than what I use to do-- mentally beating myself up, in hopes that banging my head against the wall would eventually unlock the memory of the theoretical move. One benefit I've found from digging into the position is that sometimes I'll stumble upon a position a couple moves deeper that I am sure I've studied, increasing my confidence that I've correctly reconstructed the theory.} O-O-O ({Now, it's time to apply the approach. One move that's often played in these types of positions is} 12... Nc5 $4 {but that obviously fails to} 13. b4) ({I much more serious alternative to consider is} 12... Rd8 {but this allows} 13. Bh5+ g6 14. Be2 $16 {It may look like white has just wasted a tempo, but weakening the a1-h8 diagonal is a huge deal these lines. Black's king will never find safety. Last, I looked the move I played of O-O-O. I couldn't find anything explicitly wrong with it, and I was almost certain that the best move was one of the three candidate moves. So, I played it after an almost 20 minute think, and it was indeed theory.}) 13. Qa3 Kb7 14. Bf3 Qf4+ (14... Qxc4 $4 15. Be2 $18) 15. Rd2 {For moves 13 though 17, I wasn't sure whether I had studied the position before. But, my opening study was working in the best way in can, by teaching the right ideas to apply. At this point, black wants to get e5 in, both to restrict white's knight when it get to e2, and to eventually free up black's bishop. However, we don't want to shut the door on the queen, who can also be a key defender.} Qc7 16. Ne2 e5 17. Rhd1 Nh6 $11 {This position has occurred 8 times in MegaBase, but it took 40 minutes to get here, while White took 10.} 18. b4 ({I spent a fair amount of time making sure that white couldn't play} 18. Qe7 $2 Bg4 $17 ({I planned} 18... Bf5 $15 {which is still good for an advantage} 19. Qxc7+ (19. Rxd8 $4 Qxe7 20. Rxh8 {where I know black was better, but I missed that black is just winning after} e4 $19) (19. Qxd8 $2 Rxd8 20. Rxd8 Nf7 $19 {Material is equal, but white's rooks cannot do anything with the open file, and black will start using his superior control of the center.}) 19... Kxc7 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxd8 Kxd8 22. Bxc6 Bd3 23. Ng3 Bxc4 $15 {It won't be easy to convert this endgame against the two bishops, but black is clear in the driver's seat.})) 18... Nb8 {The best move, using the knight for defense, and freeing up the king to potentially get of the h1-a8 diagonal.} ({An interesting try is} 18... Bg4 $5 19. Bxc6+ ({or white could force Nb8 anyway with} 19. b5 Nb8) 19... Qxc6 20. Rxd8 Rxd8 21. Rxd8 Qxg2) 19. h3 {Logical. Stopping black from playing the freeing move Bg4.} ({The main alternative is} 19. b5 {when black has to play} Bg4 ({I unfortunately planned to play the much weaker} 19... Kc8 $2 {when black cannot stop white's knight from getting to d6 after} 20. Ng3 $18 ({and white also has an equal strong, but harder to find, line of} 20. Bb4 c5 21. Bxc5 $3 bxc5 22. Nc3 $18 {when black is totally lost, but it's far from obvious to me.})) {And now craziness can ensure. For example:} 20. bxc6+ Nxc6 21. Bxc6+ (21. Bd5 $6 Kb8 22. f3 Bc8 23. c5 {Lines like this are why I wasn't planning on playing 19...Bg4, because they seem horrible for black, but Stockfish evaluates it as about equal.}) 21... Kxc6 22. h3 Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Bc8 24. Bxe5 Qxe5 25. Qxa7 Nf5 26. g4 Bb7 27. Qa4+ Kc7 28. Qd7+ Kb8 29. Qxf5 $11) 19... Kc8 ({I considered Stockfish's slight preference of} 19... Be6 {but I didn't like being pinned down after} 20. b5 {and some sample lines from the engine look rather scary for black:} Rxd2 21. Rxd2 Nf7 22. c5 {Stockfish slightly prefers black, but, eeeek!}) 20. b5 c5 {I felt fine about my position here. I've kept lines closed, my king is off the h1-a8 diagonal, and white's queen is currently out of play. Objectively, it's about equal.} (20... cxb5 21. Bb4 {is equally good, but I didn't want to voluntarily open lines for white's bishops.}) 21. Bb2 Be6 ({Equally good is starting with} 21... Nf5) 22. Nc3 Bxc4 $2 {The start of a two move sequence where my position crumbled. It was important to bring my h6 knight into the game.} (22... Rxd2 23. Rxd2 Nf5 24. Nd5 Bxd5 25. Rxd5 (25. Bxd5 Nd4 $15) 25... Rd8 $11 ({I only looked at} 25... Nd4 $4 26. Bg4+ f5 (26... Kb7 27. Rxd4 exd4 28. Qf3+ $18) 27. Bxd4 $18)) (22... Nf5 {is similar to 22...Rxd2}) 23. Nd5 $1 ({I expected} 23. Bd5 $2 Bxd5 24. Nxd5 Qf7 $11 {where I correctly evaluated that black could play around the knight and fight on. However, I misjudged white's best path forward. I figured the fight would revolve around a piece anchored on d5, and a knight seemed like the best piece to have there. So, I grabbed a second pawn on c4, not just to be greedy, but to weaken this outpost. Instead, it was open lines for rooks and bishops that decided this game.}) 23... Rxd5 $2 (23... Bxd5 24. Bxd5 $16 {I correctly evaluated this as not fun for black, but I could have fought on} Qe7 25. Qb3 Rhe8 26. g4 Rd7) 24. Bxd5 Bxb5 $18 {When I forsaw this position while deciding on 22...Bxc4, I grossly misevaluated it. My intuition was that there are no pawns left to bind me down, there's no knight jumping to d5, the rooks have no immediate entry point, and my bishop and b8 knight are helping to shore up the light squares. Wow, was I wrong! Part of the issue that the knight on h6 is stuck. Another issue is that there are still other weak light squares that white can exploit.} 25. Qb3 {Immediately exploiting the light squares. Starting with Be6+ is equally good, but the key is to play Qb3 here or on the next move.} Bc6 26. Be6+ Kb7 27. Rd6 {Ooof. Okay, that's a good entry point.} c4 {Desperation, but still black's try.} ({The point of Rd6 is that after a move like} 27... Re8 {white takes advantage of black's overloaded pieces with} 28. Rxc6 Nxc6 (28... Qxc6 29. Bd5 $18) (28... Kxc6 29. Qf3+ {with mate soon}) 29. Rd7 $18) 28. Qe3 $2 ({Best is} 28. Qc2 Re8 29. Ba3) ({White could even just play the simple} 28. Qxc4 Bxg2 ({I planned} 28... Bb5 $2 29. Qxc7+ Kxc7 {but black is still totally busted}) 29. Qxc7+ ({I had incorrectly rejected 28...Bxg2 due to} 29. Rd7 $4 Nxd7 30. Rxd7 $2 {but black would actually win after the incredible} Rc8 $3) 29... Kxc7 30. Ba3 $18) 28... Bb5 $4 ({I missed an opportunity to get back in the game with} 28... Re8 29. Ba3 ({Now that the queen is deflected, white no longer wins material with} 29. Rxc6 Nxc6 30. Rd7 Rxe6 31. Rxc7+ Kxc7 $11) 29... Nf7 30. Rxc6 (30. Qe2 Nxd6 31. Bxd6 Qd8 32. Bb4 Qc7 $11) 30... Nxc6 31. Rd7 Rxe6 32. Rxc7+ Kxc7 33. Qe4 {I'd rather be white, but it's still a fight.}) 29. Qf3+ {Now, it's just over.} Ka6 30. a4 1-0

