[Event "Winter Classic Training"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2025.12.09"] [Round "1"] [White "K-Chess"] [Black "Harwood"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Harwood,Paul"] [ECO "B23"] [PlyCount "97"] [GameId "2253288327018724"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2013.12.29"] [SourceQuality "1"] {[%evp 0,97,16,13,18,16,21,13,39,-1,1,5,9,10,14,6,19,17,16,19,7,16,21,15,19,-7,-7,-17,-7,-3,-10,-2,-8,-77,-13,-73,6,18,0,32767,31,27,23,18,6,-1,-1,19,16,-8,-8,1,69,69,97,76,113,135,102,74,92,-60,-77,-1,168,-62,200,266,233,237,289,290,305,298,521,518,516,513,509,518,507,500,520,501,509,506,502,511,534,524,534,538,534,536,532,523,549,535,536,548]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 (3... g6 4. O-O (4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. h3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Be3 b6 9. Qd2 e5 10. Bh6 (10. Nxe5 Nxe4 11. Nxc6 Nxd2 12. Nxd8 Nc4 13. dxc4 Rxd8 14. Nd5 Bxb2 15. Rb1 Bg7 16. Ne7+ Kf8 17. Nxc8 Raxc8 18. Ke2 Re8 19. Rhd1 Bd4))) 4. Nc3 a6 $5 {According to Chessbase's Opening Encyclopedia, this is the 6th best move with e6 being the first.} (4... e6 5. O-O Nxb5 6. Nxb5 a6 7. Na3 Nf6 8. e5 Nd5 9. d4 cxd4 10. Qxd4 b6 11. Qe4 Bb7 12. c4 Nc3 13. Qxb7 Rb8 14. Qxa6 Ra8 15. Qb7 Rb8 16. Qa6 Ra8 17. Qb7 Rb8 18. Qa6 Ra8 {½-½ Firouzja,A (2766)-Giri,A (2748) FIDE Grand Swiss Samarkand 2025 (10)}) {Bd3 is preferred, probably because b5 is in the air but either move provides equality.} 5. Bc4 {While not wrong, a better move should be controlling the light squares and limiting the c4 bishop's scope.} g6 $6 ({The obvious} 5... b5 {looks reasonable but I thought that after} 6. Bd5 Rb8 {White looks better. Not true. White's bishop is at risk and Black has no problems here. The position is equal.} 7. d3 e6 8. Bb3 Nxb3 9. axb3 Bb7 10. O-O Ne7 11. Be3 d6 12. d4 cxd4 13. Qxd4 Nc6 $11) 6. O-O Bg7 {So far, so good. I should still be focusing on controlling the light squares but I also have to start developing my pieces.} 7. d3 {A slight inaccuracy. The better move would be controlling the light squares. So either e6 or b5.} d6 $6 {The first mistake.} ({One reason why} 7... e6 {[%csl Yd5,Ge7,Yf5][%CAl Ge6d5,Ge6f5,Gg8e7] is a stronger move (besides controlling the light squares) is that it vacates the e7 square for the knight. So, a future Nd4 ed4 can be met with Nc6 with equality.} 8. Nxd4 {Exchange N for N (with 8.Nxd4)} cxd4 {Black gets doubled pawns on d4/d7} 9. Ne2 Ne7 {Manoeuvre: 9...Ng8-e7-c6} 10. Bb3 O-O 11. a4 d5 12. h4 dxe4 13. dxe4 Nc6 14. h5 {is a sac, The position is equal}) 8. Nxd4 cxd4 9. Ne2 {Now this pawn is difficult to protect as c3 will be played, consolidating the center and making it cramped for Black.} e6 10. c3 dxc3 11. bxc3 Ne7 {[#]} ({Throwing in} 11... b5 {is reasonble.} 12. Bb3 Bb7 13. f4 Ne7 14. Be3 O-O 15. Rb1 Qd7 16. Qd2 a5 $11) 12. Nd4 $146 (12. d4 O-O 13. Be3 d5 14. Bd3 dxe4 15. Bxe4 Nd5 16. c4 Nxe3 17. fxe3 e5 18. Rb1 Rb8 19. dxe5 Qg5 20. Nf4 Qxe5 21. Qf3 Bg4 22. Qxg4 Qxe4 23. Qe2 Rbc8 24. Rbc1 Rfe8 25. Nd5 b5 26. Qf3 Qxf3 27. gxf3 bxc4 28. Rc2 Rc5 29. Rd1 f5 30. Kf2 Rb8 31. e4 Rb2 32. Ne3 Rxc2+ 33. Nxc2 fxe4 34. fxe4 Rh5 35. Kg2 Rh4 36. Re1 Be5 37. h3 Rh5 38. Re3 Kf7 39. Na3 Rg5+ 40. Kf1 c3 41. Nc2 Ke6 {0-1 Pye,D (2132)-Cooksey,P (2236) BCF-chT3 0304 (4NCL) West Bromwich 2003 (7.1)}) 12... O-O (12... Qa5 $5 {a move I played later but perhaps it makes more sense now. From a5, the queen stops Ba3 and still assists with ideas of d5.} 13. Bd2 d5 14. Bb3 O-O 15. Rc1 dxe4 16. dxe4 Bd7 17. Kh1 Nc6 18. f4 $11) 13. Rb1 d5 14. Bb3 Qa5 (14... b5 {looks reasonable but I was afraid of the undermining a4.} 15. a4 b4 $1 16. Bb2 Rb8 17. Qd2 a5 18. Nb5 Nc6 19. exd5 exd5 20. Rbc1 Bf5 $11) 15. Bg5 Re8 16. Ba4 $6 {I didn't even calculate this and it really upset me. Isn't my rook hanging? It is, yes and I have b5 as the only move but I wasn't sure if he could sacrifice a piece for two pawns and wind up with a better position.} b5 $8 17. Bxe7 {[%csl Ra4,Yc3,Rd4][%CAl Ga5c3]} Rxe7 (17... Qxc3 $1 {a very hard move to find but strong nonetheless.} 18. Nxb5 axb5 19. Bb4 Qc6 20. Rc1 Qb7 21. Bb3 dxe4 22. Re1 exd3 23. Qxd3 Bd7 $11) 18. Nc6 Qc7 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Bb3 {It looks like I am coming out of this with equality. I calculated that after de4, White's center pawn majority is broken up and after Bb7, Black looks to be doing fine.} dxe4 21. dxe4 Bxc3 $11 {I didn't see the harm in grabbing a free pawn. The position is equal. My bishop pair and pawn count more than makes up for the exchange.} 22. Qd3 b4 23. Rbd1 Bb7 {At first I was concerned with Qd7 but after Qxd7, Be4 grabs another pawn.} 24. f3 Bc6 {Intended to reinforce my a5-a4 idea.} ({Turns out the immediate} 24... a5 {is fine.} 25. Kh1 ({My concern about} 25. Ba4 {is met with} Qc5+ $1 26. Rf2 Ba6 27. Qd6 Qe3 $19 28. Qc6 Ra7 29. Bb5 Bxb5 30. Qxb5 Bd4 31. Rxd4 Qxd4 32. g4 Kg7 33. Kg2 $19) 25... Bc6) 25. Rf2 e5 $11 {[%csl Rd5,Rd6,Rf6][%CAl Gb3d5,Rc3e5] I spent a lot of time on this move. It was hard to understand how to improve my position without giving away square control. With e5, I reasoned that Bd4 would be a threat that would be hard to meet. The downside of course is that d5 is weakened.} 26. Qd6 Qb7 $4 {[%csl Gf6][%CAl Gd6f6,Rf6f7,Rb3f7,Rf2d2,Rd2d6] Keeping the queens on the board seemed logical but this just gives White a winning attack.} (26... Qxd6 {trading looked scary as I am down an exchange but it's just equal.} 27. Rxd6 Be8 28. Rc2 Bd4+ 29. Kh1 a5 30. g4 Kg7 31. Rc7 a4 32. Bd5 Rb8 33. Rb7 Rxb7 34. Bxb7 b3 35. axb3 axb3 36. Bd5 Ba4 37. Bc4 b2 38. Bd3 Bd1 $11) 27. Rc2 (27. h4 $1 Rc8 (27... Bd4 {looks like I get the exchange back, but...} 28. Rxd4 exd4 29. h5 Be8 30. hxg6 Rc8 31. Rd2 hxg6 32. Qxg6+ Kf8 33. Qh6+ Kg8 34. e5 $18) 28. h5 gxh5 29. Kh1 $18) 27... Rc8 28. Qf6 ({Apparently,} 28. h4 {is even stronger with a winning attack.}) 28... Be8 29. Kh1 a5 30. Rd6 $2 {This is why I like to play K-Chess. Even a win is never a certainy with this thing.} a4 $1 $11 31. Bd5 Qb5 $4 (31... b3 $1 $11 {[%csl Rc2][%CAl Gb3c2,Gc2c1] I looked at this but though it looked too complicated and that the machine must have seen it. Apparently not.} 32. axb3 axb3 33. Rxc3 b2 34. h4 Rxc3 35. Kh2 b1=Q 36. Bxb7 Rc1 $1 37. Qxe5 Rh1+ 38. Kg3 Qe1+ 39. Kf4 Qxh4+ 40. Ke3 Qe1+ $11) 32. Rc1 $2 Qc5 $4 (32... b3 33. Rb6 b2 34. Rb1 Bd4 $1 35. h3 (35. Rxb5 Rc1+ $19) 35... Bxb6) 33. Rd7 $1 Qf8 34. Rb7 {Free here on out, K-Chess plays accurately and does not look back.} Qg7 (34... Ra8 35. h4 $18) 35. Qxg7+ Kxg7 36. Rxb4 $1 {I didn't even see this. I thought that after Kg7 I had a chance for a draw.} Bxb4 $2 37. Rxc8 Bd7 38. Rd8 Be6 39. Bxe6 fxe6 40. Rd7+ Kg8 41. Ra7 a3 42. Ra4 Be7 43. Ra5 Bd6 44. Ra6 Bc5 45. Rxe6 Bd4 46. Ra6 Bb2 47. h4 Kg7 48. Ra7+ Kg8 49. g3 {[%csl Rg8][%CAl Ga7h7,Gh1g2,Gg2f2,Gf2e2,Ge2d3,Gd3c4,Gc4b3] Black resigns.} 1-0