[Event "U.S. Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Black "Shankland, Sam"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2786"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. h3 d6 7. c3 a5 8. Re1 h6 9. Nbd2 a4 10. Bb5 Bd7 11. Nf1 Ne7 12. Bxd7 Qxd7 13. Ng3 Bb6 14. Nh4 d5 15. exd5 Qxd5 16. d4 Nc6 17. Nh5 Qd8 18. Nf5 Nxh5 19. Qxh5 Qf6 20. Re4 Qg6 $2 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;Mistake;persistent;true] White already had the upper hand, but this hastens the end.} (20... Rfd8 21. Rg4 g6 22. Nxh6+ Kf8 23. Qg5 Qxg5 24. Bxg5 Rd6 {with a slightly worse position for Black.}) 21. Qf3 $1 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] White's attack on the kingside is decisive now.} (21. Nxh6+ $2 {[%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Kh7 22. Qf3 gxh6 23. Rg4 Bxd4 $3 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} (23... Qd6 24. Rh4) 24. cxd4 Nxd4) 21... exd4 22. Nxh6+ gxh6 23. Rg4 {White has won Black's queen for the compensation of a rook and knight.} Kh7 24. Rxg6 fxg6 25. Qg4 $6 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] This is where Caruana starts slipping up.} ({White had to be precise here, with} 25. Qd3 $1 {[%c_effect d3;square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] White has to keep an eye on the d4-pawn as well as try to safeguard the f2-pawn.} Rae8 ({Black can target the white pawn on f2, but doesn't gain any big advantage as a result.} 25... dxc3 26. Qd7+ Kg8 27. Bxh6 Rf7 28. Qe6 Bxf2+ 29. Kh1) 26. Qd2 $1 {[%c_effect d2;square;d2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Attacking the pawn on h6 as well as covering the e1-square.} g5 27. cxd4 Bxd4 28. Qd3+ Kg7 29. Be3 {and White parries all the threats.}) 25... Rae8 $1 {[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Black's pieces are all active, making White's objectives difficult to achieve.} ({Caruana's idea was} 25... dxc3 $2 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 26. Qd7+ {and the analysis transposes into the analysis quoted earlier, resulting in a superior position for White.}) 26. cxd4 $2 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;Mistake;persistent;true] This is an outright mistake, letting Black obtain counterplay.} ({White should have continued to attack the kingside with} 26. Qh4 h5 (26... Re1+ 27. Kh2 h5 28. Bh6 $3 {[%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] is a cute point $1}) 27. Qg5 Ne5 ({Again,} 27... Re1+ 28. Kh2 Ne5 {is met with} 29. Qh6+ Kg8 30. Bf4 $3 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} (30. Qxf8+ Kxf8 31. Bh6+ Kg8 32. Rxe1 {gives White a clear advantage too.}) 30... Rxa1 31. Bxe5 Kf7 32. cxd4 {and White is winning.}) 28. cxd4 Bxd4 29. Be3 Bxe3 30. fxe3 {with a slightly better position for White.}) 26... Re1+ {The remaining part of the game did not produce any excitement in favor of either of the sides:} 27. Kh2 Rf5 28. Qh4 h5 29. Be3 Rxa1 30. g4 Rf7 31. gxh5 gxh5 32. Qxh5+ Kg8 33. Qg6+ Rg7 34. Qe8+ Kh7 35. Qe4+ Kg8 36. Qe6+ Kh7 37. Qe4+ Kg8 38. Qe6+ Kh7 39. Qf5+ Kg8 40. Qe6+ Kh7 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8.2"] [White "Yan, Ruiyang"] [Black "Lee, Alice"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "B33"] [WhiteElo "2206"] [BlackElo "2388"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 9. a4 Be7 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O Nd7 12. Bd2 a6 13. Na3 a5 14. Nb5 f5 15. f4 Bf6 16. c3 Nc5 17. Kh1 Ne4 18. Be3 exf4 19. Bxf4 Qb6 20. Qe1 Bd7 21. Bd3 Rae8 22. Be3 Qd8 23. Bxe4 Bxb5 24. axb5 Rxe4 25. Qf2 {Black has played energetically since the opening phase, and has taken over the initiative here.} Qe8 $6 {[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] A tad tentative.} (25... Be5 $1 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 26. Bb6 Qe8 27. Rxa5 Qh5 28. h3 Re2 (28... g5 {is the choice of the chess engine, but probably difficult to play in a practical game.}) 29. Qf3 Qxf3 30. gxf3 Rxb2 {with an edge for Black.}) 26. Bf4 Qd8 $6 {[%c_effect d8;square;d8;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] This voluntary giving up of two tempi was not necessary.} (26... Be5 27. Bxe5 Qxe5 28. Rxa5 Re2 {enables Black to maintain an edge.}) 27. Rae1 Rfe8 28. Rxe4 Rxe4 29. Bg3 g6 30. Re1 {and Black's advantage got neutralized.} Qe8 31. h3 Bg5 32. Rxe4 Qxe4 33. Bxd6 Be3 34. Qe1 Qxd5 35. Qxe3 Qd1+ 36. Kh2 Qxd6+ 37. Kh1 Qd1+ 38. Kh2 Qd6+ 39. Kh1 Qd1+ 40. Kh2 Qd6+ 41. Kh1 Qd1+ 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8.3"] [White "Eswaran, Ashritha"] [Black "Cervantes Landeiro, Thalia"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C56"] [WhiteElo "2273"] [BlackElo "2303"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "87"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. e5 d5 6. Bb5 Ne4 7. Nxd4 Bd7 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. O-O Bc5 10. f3 Ng5 11. Be3 O-O 12. f4 Ne4 13. Nd2 Nxd2 14. Qxd2 f6 15. Rae1 fxe5 16. fxe5 Qe7 17. Nb3 Rxf1+ 18. Rxf1 Bb6 19. Qc3 Rf8 20. Re1 Qh4 21. Nc5 {White has a slight pull here, as her dominance of the dark squares is difficult to face on the board.} Bg4 $2 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Uneven play. It is difficult to ascertain Black's motive behind her next few moves.} 22. Bd4 Bh5 $2 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] The black bishop continues the journey, though there doesn't seem to be much of an objective behind the plan.} 23. e6 $1 {[%c_effect e6;square;e6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] White takes the opportunity to run her passed pawn down the board and create pressure.} a5 {Another move seemingly without much of a purpose. White's advantage is considerable now, and she went on to convert the advantage into a win, with further help from Black.} 24. a4 Bg6 25. Qe3 Re8 26. c3 Be4 27. Rf1 Bxc5 28. Bxc5 Qg4 29. Qf2 h5 30. e7 Kh7 31. Qg3 Qe2 32. h3 Bg6 33. Qf2 Qc4 34. Qd4 Qe2 35. b4 Be4 36. Rf2 Qe1+ 37. Kh2 axb4 38. cxb4 Bg6 39. a5 Qc1 40. Qe5 Qh6 41. Rf8 h4 42. Bd4 Bh5 43. a6 c5 44. bxc5 1-0 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8.4"] [White "Zatonskih, Anna"] [Black "Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D30"] [WhiteElo "2363"] [BlackElo "2350"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Qc2 Nc6 6. a3 Bg4 7. Nbd2 Bd6 8. e3 O-O 9. b4 Re8 10. Bb2 Bh5 11. Bb5 Bg6 12. Qc1 a5 13. bxa5 Rxa5 14. Bxc6 bxc6 15. O-O Qa8 16. Ne5 Bxe5 17. dxe5 Nd7 18. Qc3 Rc5 19. Qd4 Rc2 20. e6 Nf6 21. exf7+ Kxf7 {White is under slight pressure, but she can still defend. The black rook on c2 is an annoying presence, which is probably a source of stress for White here. Black is threatening 22...c5, but it doesn't look very serious.} 22. Bc1 $4 {[%c_effect c1;square;c1;type;Blunder;persistent;true] And with this one tentative move, White's position collapses.} c5 23. Qf4 Qa5 24. e4 (24. Nf3 Kg8 {and it is difficult to recommend any move for White here, indicating that Black dominates the position.}) 24... dxe4 $6 {[%c_effect e4;square;e4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (24... Bxe4 25. Nxe4 Rxe4 {should have been even better for Black.}) 25. Qe3 c4 $19 {and Black went on to win the game.} 26. a4 Rd8 27. Nb3 Qe5 28. Rb1 Rd3 29. Qc5 Rd5 30. Qe3 Rc3 31. Bb2 Rxe3 32. Bxe5 Rxb3 {0-} 0-1 [Event "U.S. Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8.5"] [White "Robson, Ray"] [Black "Niemann, Hans Moke"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C88"] [WhiteElo "2699"] [BlackElo "2667"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Bd2 Qd7 11. h3 Nd8 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8 14. c4 Ne6 15. Na3 bxc4 16. Bxc4 Bb7 17. Nc2 Ra8 18. b4 Qa4 19. Qb1 Nd7 20. Bb3 Qb5 21. Bc4 Qa4 22. Bb3 Qb5 23. Ne3 Bf8 24. Rc1 c6 25. Bc4 Qa4 26. Bb3 Qb5 27. Bc4 Qa4 28. b5 Ndc5 29. bxc6 Bxc6 30. Nd5 Qa7 31. Be3 Rb8 32. Qc2 Qa3 33. Qd1 {White has a small advantage in the long-term, due to the inactive bishop on f8.} Qb2 $6 {[%c_effect b2;square;b2;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (33... Ba4 34. Qf1 Qb2 {is a better continuation.}) ({A drastic solution could be} 33... Bxd5 34. exd5 (34. Bxd5 Qxd3 {picks up a pawn, though White has compensation.}) 34... Nd4 35. Nxd4 exd4 36. Bxd4 g6 {With the pawn sacrifice, Black aims to release some of the pressure in the position, but White should still hold a small advantage.}) 34. Rc2 Qa3 $4 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;Blunder;persistent;true] A huge blunder.} ({Better was} 34... Qb7 35. Nc3 {with a slight advantage for White.}) 35. Ra2 Ba4 36. Qa1 {Black resigned, as his queen is trapped.} 1-0 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8.1"] [White "Krush, Irina"] [Black "Yu, Jennifer"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2437"] [BlackElo "2294"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "113"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Be6 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. f3 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Bf2 Bd6 12. Nge2 Qc7 13. Qc2 O-O-O 14. h3 Kb8 15. O-O-O Nb6 16. Kb1 Rhe8 17. g4 Ng7 18. Rhg1 Ka8 19. Ng3 Qe7 20. Nf5 Nxf5 21. gxf5 Bc8 22. e4 f6 23. Rge1 Qf7 24. Bg1 Bg3 25. Rf1 Qc7 26. Ne2 Bh2 27. Bf2 h5 28. Rh1 Bd6 29. Rhg1 Re7 30. Rg2 Rh8 31. Nc1 Rg7 32. Rdg1 Rhg8 33. Nb3 Nd7 34. a3 Bh2 35. Rh1 Bf4 36. Be2 Qd6 37. Ka1 Nb6 38. Nc5 Qe7 39. a4 Bd6 40. a5 Bxc5 41. dxc5 Nd7 42. exd5 cxd5 43. Rd1 Qd8 44. a6 Ne5 45. axb7+ Rxb7 46. h4 $4 {[%c_effect h4;square;h4;type;Blunder;persistent;true] This allows Black to develop a dangerous attack.} ({White had to stop the black queen from coming to a5 with} 46. Be1) 46... Qa5+ {Black has a better position now in view of the weakened white king, but she had to worry about the clock. After the first time control, Yu was in danger, since she was lower on time in the sudden finish.} 47. Kb1 Bxf5 $2 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({Black could have conducted a more sedate attack with} 47... Nc4 48. Bxc4 dxc4 {and her position is still much better.}) 48. Qxf5 Rxb2+ $3 {[%c_effect b2;square;b2;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} 49. Kxb2 Rb8+ 50. Kc1 Qa3+ 51. Kd2 Qb4+ 52. Ke3 Qxc5+ 53. Kd2 Qb4+ 54. Ke3 Qc5+ 55. Kd2 Qb4+ 56. Ke3 Qc5+ {Being short of time, Black decided to repeat moves and settle for a draw.} (56... d4+ $3 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] wins:} 57. Rxd4 Qc3+ 58. Rd3 (58. Bd3 Qc1+ 59. Ke4 Re8 {and the white king gets hunted down.}) 58... Qc1+ 59. Rd2 Rb3+ 60. Bd3 Nc4+ {wins}) 57. Kd2 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Championship"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8"] [White "Mishra, Abhimanyu"] [Black "Sevian, Samuel"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E15"] [WhiteElo "2592"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "169"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ {A solid opening quickly leads to a typical QID setup.} 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Nc3 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Bg2 O-O 10. O-O Re8 11. Ne5 {The main move. This might have taken Sevian by surprise, as he started to think a lot from here on. 11.Rc1 is the modern continuation.} Bb7 12. Rc1 Nbd7 13. Bf4 ({Instead:} 13. Rc2 h6 14. Bf4 Nf8 15. Bc1 Ne6 16. Bb2 c6 17. e3 Bd6 18. Ne2 Rc8 19. Nf4 Rc7 20. Qa1 $5 {[%c_effect a1;square;a1;type;Interesting;persistent;true] was Yilmaz,M (2639)-Caruana, F (2782) Baku 2023}) 13... Nf8 14. h4 $5 {[%c_effect h4;square;h4;type;Interesting;persistent;true] A move that was played in just one over-the-board game, and this game was one of Mishra's games $1 Somehow Sevian missed it (or forgot about it).} h6 ({Two email games saw} 14... Ne6 15. e3 c5 16. dxc5 Bxc5 {when White tried both} 17. Rc2 ({and} 17. Nd3 Ba3 18. Rb1 Ne4 19. Nb5 Bf8 20. Rc1 {Schmidt,J (2262)-Cardoso,S (2249) LSS email 2019}) 17... Rc8 18. Qd3 Qe7 19. Nb5 {in both cases with complex, interesting play ahead, Gromotka,H (2356)-Gonzalez Gigato,J (2210) ICCF email 2019}) 15. e3 Ne6 {[#]} ({The immediate} 15... c6 $5 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;Interesting;persistent;true] also makes sense in order to meet} 16. g4 {with} N6d7) 16. g4 $146 {A novelty upon his own game $1 White is obstructing the opponent's central counterplay.} ({The predecessor was a very, very fresh game which went:} 16. Ng4 Nxf4 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. exf4 c6 19. Qd2 Qd6 20. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 21. Rxe1 Qb4 22. Rd1 {and the game eventually ended with a draw, Mishra,A (2550)-Bok,B (2607) Saint Louis 2023}) 16... c6 ({Now} 16... c5 $2 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] is not possible due to} 17. g5 $1 {[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} hxg5 18. hxg5 Ne4 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Qh5 {when Black's position collapses.}) 17. Bg3 {But this retreat spoiled White's opening idea.} ({The principled continuation was} 17. g5 $5 {[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;Interesting;persistent;true] when after} hxg5 ({In case of} 17... Nd7 18. Qh5 {might transpose into the main line.} ({But White has an additional and good choice} 18. gxh6 Nxf4 19. exf4 Nxe5 20. dxe5)) 18. hxg5 Nd7 19. Qh5 Nxe5 {White has a fantastic computer-like attack with} 20. Bxe5 $1 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Bxg5 21. f4 Bh6 22. Bh3 $3 {[%c_effect h3;square;h3;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] Then after} (22. Rf3 $5 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;Interesting;persistent;true] is also liked by the machine.}) 22... f6 23. Kh1 fxe5 24. Rg1 $1 {[%c_effect g1;square;g1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] the comp promises White more than enough for the piece. In fact, it claims a decisive advantage.}) 17... c5 $1 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Sevian grabs his chance. Now that g4-g5 is not a threat, this had become possible.} (17... Nd7 $5 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;Interesting;persistent;true] to remove the important knight made perfect sense too.}) 18. dxc5 Bxc5 19. Qf3 Qe7 {Black has equalized.} 20. Nd3 {Now Black even gets a chance to play for an advantage.} (20. Rfd1 $5 {[%c_effect d1;square;d1;type;Interesting;persistent;true] looked more appropriate.}) 20... Rad8 ({It made sense to keep the bishop alive with} 20... Ba3 $1 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 21. Rcd1 Rad8 {when Black's position seems more pleasant.} ({Or} 21... Ne4)) 21. Nxc5 {Taking the chance to get rid of the strong piece.} bxc5 {Black too, is happy to modify his pawn structure.} 22. Be5 Nd7 {The knight is transfered to a safer square.} ({However, there was a strong argument for} 22... Ne4 $1 {[%c_effect e4;square;e4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] when after} 23. Nxe4 dxe4 24. Qg3 {the sudden retreat} Nf8 $3 {[%c_effect f8;square;f8;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} ({Even better than} 24... Ba6 25. Rfd1 Bd3 26. f4) 25. Bc3 Ng6 $1 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] gives a big advantage to Black.}) 23. Bg3 Nb6 24. Rfe1 Rd7 {Unfortunately for him, Sevian chooses the wrong plan. His idea is correct, and the d5-d4 break should be prepared, but his execution fails concretely.} ({The suprising, concrete, and totally inhuman idea} 24... Ba8 $1 {[%c_effect a8;square;a8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] would have prepared the break better, as after} 25. Qf5 d4 $1 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 26. Bxa8 Nxa8 $3 {[%c_effect a8;square;a8;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] the black rook supports the d-passer and this is decisive in the line} 27. exd4 cxd4 28. Ne2 $2 {[%c_effect e2;square;e2;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} d3 $1 {[%c_effect d3;square;d3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 25. Qf5 {Aiming at the pawns.} Red8 ({Alas} 25... d4 {no longer works due to} 26. Bxb7 Rxb7 27. exd4 cxd4 28. Ne2) 26. Ne2 $1 {[%c_effect e2;square;e2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Very deep play by Mishra $1} Re8 {It might have been here that Sevian realised his plan would not work.} ({Once again} 26... d4 {is principled, but unsound due to} 27. exd4 cxd4 28. Nf4 $1 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 27. Red1 {The loss of time starts to tell and the hanging pawns are under pressure.} Red8 28. Nf4 {And Black decided that the center would collapse anyway and sacrificed a pawn.} Nxf4 29. Qxf4 d4 30. Bxb7 Rxb7 31. exd4 cxd4 32. Rxd4 Rxd4 33. Qxd4 Rd7 34. Qe5 {There is not enough compensation, and Mishra should win.} (34. Qf4 $5 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;Interesting;persistent;true] looked good as well.}) 34... Qb4 ({There is nothing for Black after} 34... Qxe5 35. Bxe5 Rd2 36. a4) 35. g5 hxg5 36. hxg5 Qd2 37. Bf4 Qd5 {Or else White's attack becomes unstoppable.} ({As in the line} 37... Qd3 38. Rc3 Qd1+ 39. Kh2 Rd8 40. g6 $1 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 38. Qxd5 Nxd5 39. Bd2 Kh7 40. Kg2 Kg6 41. Kf3 Ne7 42. Bf4 Nf5 43. Kg4 ({Faster was} 43. Rc6+ $1 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Kh5 44. Ke4) 43... Ne7 {The question is which endgame $2 The rook one, or...} 44. Rc7 {The minor-piece one it is.} ({Although White also wins after} 44. Rc5 Nd5 45. Ra5 Nxf4 46. Kxf4) 44... Rxc7 45. Bxc7 Nd5 46. Bb8 a6 {A solid extra pawn, superior bishop, and a more active king. What could possibly go wrong for White $2} 47. f4 {Now Sevian gets a hidden chance.} (47. a3 $1 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] would have done the job neatly instead.}) 47... f5+ {Which remained hidden.} ({The tricky knight could have saved the day with} 47... Ne3+ $3 {[%c_effect e3;square;e3;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} 48. Kf3 Nd5 $3 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] Black is threatening a blockade with Kg6-f5, a blockade which cannot be stopped as} 49. Ke4 $2 {[%c_effect e4;square;e4;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Nc3+ {drops the vital pawn which did not move on the previous move.}) 48. Kf3 Nb4 49. a4 Nc6 50. Be5 {Now everything is back in order for Mishra and he never lets the win slip away.} Kf7 51. Bc3 g6 52. Ke3 Ke6 53. b4 Kd5 54. Kd3 Ne7 55. Bd4 {Once the white pieces are improved to the maximum he can push his passer.} Nc6 56. Bc5 Na5 (56... Nd8 57. Be3 {changes nothing.}) 57. Bf2 Nc4 58. Kc3 {A good move, of course.} ({The most convincing line was} 58. b5 $1 {[%c_effect b5;square;b5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nb2+ 59. Kc2 Nxa4 60. bxa6 Kc6 61. Bd4 $1 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 58... Nd6 59. Bd4 Ne4+ 60. Kd3 Nd6 61. Bg1 Nc4 62. b5 axb5 63. axb5 Nd6 64. b6 Nb7 65. Be3 Nd6 66. Kc3 {The infiltration of the white king is inevitable.} Ke4 ({Or} 66... Nb7 67. Kb4 Kc6 68. Kc4 Nd6+ 69. Kd4 Nb7 70. Bf2 {and again everything will end with a zugzwang.}) 67. Bc1 Kd5 68. Kb4 Kc6 69. Be3 Kd5 70. Bc5 Nb7 71. Be3 Nd6 72. Ka5 Kc6 73. Ka6 Nb7 74. Bd4 Nd8 75. Bf6 Ne6 76. Be7 {The final zugzwang. The pawn is unstoppable.} Nxf4 77. b7 Nd5 78. b8=Q Nxe7 79. Qe5 Kd7 80. Kb7 f4 81. Qxf4 Nf5 82. Qa4+ Ke7 83. Kc7 Ng7 84. Qd7+ Kf8 85. Qd8+ 1-0 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8"] [White "Pourkashiyan, Atousa"] [Black "Yip, Carissa"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C77"] [WhiteElo "2288"] [BlackElo "2372"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "120"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. c3 Bd7 7. Bb3 h6 8. Nbd2 g6 9. Nf1 Bg7 10. Ng3 O-O 11. O-O b5 12. h3 Nh7 13. Be3 h5 14. Re1 Kh8 15. d4 Na5 16. Bc2 Nc4 17. Bc1 Nb6 18. b3 Bc6 19. a4 Bb7 20. a5 Nd7 21. b4 Qe7 22. Qe2 Rae8 23. d5 c6 24. c4 cxd5 25. cxd5 f5 $2 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Too committal, leaving Black with a weakened kingside in the long run.} 26. exf5 h4 $6 {[%c_effect h4;square;h4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (26... e4 {was the only chance for Black.} 27. Ra3 gxf5 28. Qd1 {with a considerable advantage for White.}) 27. Nf1 $4 {[%c_effect f1;square;f1;type;Blunder;persistent;true] White misses a standard trick.} (27. f6 Bxf6 28. Ne4 Bxd5 29. Qd2 {with a clear advantage for White.}) 27... e4 28. fxg6 Bxa1 29. gxh7 Bxd5 {Black is clearly better here.} 30. Bg5 Bf6 $2 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (30... Qg7 {was simpler.}) 31. Nxh4 Qxh7 $2 {[%c_effect h7;square;h7;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (31... Bf7 {was still better for Black.}) 32. Qd2 {White has compensation for the exchange now. The game continued with more turns now.} Bb7 33. Ng3 Rg8 34. Bxf6+ Nxf6 35. Nhf5 d5 36. Qd4 Re6 37. Bb3 Rg5 38. Qa7 Rc6 39. Qb8+ Rg8 40. Qe5 Qc7 41. Qd4 Rd8 42. Nh5 Qf7 43. g4 Kh7 44. Nhg3 Bc8 45. Qd2 Qf8 46. Qg5 Kh8 47. Nd4 Rc7 48. Ngf5 Bxf5 49. Qxf5 Rf7 50. Ne6 Qxb4 {White is winning here.} 51. Re3 $4 {[%c_effect e3;square;e3;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (51. Nxd8 Qxe1+ 52. Kg2 Rf8 53. Ne6 Qb4 (53... Rf7 54. Ng5 Rf8 55. Qg6 {with a win for White.}) 54. Bxd5 {with an overwhelming advantage, due to the black king's exposed state.}) 51... Rdd7 52. g5 Ne8 $4 {[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (52... d4 $1 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] would have led to great complications and an even fight.}) 53. Qe5+ Ng7 54. Qb8+ $4 {[%c_effect b8;square;b8;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (54. Rc3 $1 {[%c_effect c3;square;c3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] wins for White:} Kh7 55. Nxg7 Rxg7 56. Qf5+ Kh8 57. Rc8+ {wins}) 54... Kh7 55. g6+ Kxg6 56. Rg3+ Kf6 {White doesn't have a win anymore.} 57. Ng5 $2 {[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (57. Nxg7 Rxg7 58. Qf4+ Ke6 59. Qh6+ Kf5 60. Qh5+ {with a perpetual check.}) 57... Nf5 58. Nh7+ $2 {[%c_effect h7;square;h7;type;Mistake;persistent;true] This hastens the end.} ({Better was} 58. Nxf7 Nxg3 59. Qe5+ Kxf7 60. Bxd5+ Rxd5 61. Qxd5+ Kf6 62. fxg3 Qe1+ 63. Kg2 Qe2+ 64. Kg1 Qe3+ 65. Kg2 Qf3+ 66. Kh2 Qd3 {with a better ending for Black.}) 58... Rxh7 59. Qf4 Rhg7 60. Bxd5 Rxg3+ {0-} 0-1 [Event "U.S. Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.13"] [Round "8.6"] [White "Tang, Andrew"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D02"] [WhiteElo "2496"] [BlackElo "2753"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "159"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 d5 3. Nf3 c5 4. e3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 Qb6 6. dxc5 Qxb2 7. Rb1 Qc3 8. Bb5 e6 9. O-O Be7 10. Nd4 Bd7 11. N2b3 O-O 12. Bd3 Qb4 13. a4 {The situation of the black queen looks precarious.} a6 14. Bc7 {White's idea is to move the dark-squared bishop to b6, and solidify the c5-pawn.} Rfc8 15. Bb6 Be8 $1 {[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This move came in for great praise from the commentators, who appreciated the deep idea.} 16. Na5 Qxa4 17. Nxb7 Ne5 {Here it is, the idea behind 15...Be8. Black has now vacated the d7-square for the black queen.} 18. Nd6 Bxd6 19. cxd6 Nxd3 {After a flurry of simplifications, the position is almost equal.} 20. cxd3 Qxd1 21. Rfxd1 a5 {Even with a white pawn lingering on d6, So keeps his focus on rolling his a-passer and pressurizing White.} 22. Nb5 Bxb5 23. Rxb5 a4 24. Ba5 a3 25. h3 Rc2 26. Ra1 Rb2 27. Rc5 a2 28. Bc3 Rc2 29. Rc7 Ne8 30. Rc6 Nf6 31. Rc7 Ne8 32. Rc6 Rd8 {The position is equal now. The rest of the game didn't feature many incidents.} 33. Ba5 Rxc6 34. Bxd8 Rxd6 35. Ba5 Ra6 36. Rxa2 h5 37. Ra3 e5 38. Bb4 Rxa3 39. Bxa3 f6 40. e4 Nc7 41. h4 Kf7 42. f3 Ne6 43. exd5 Nf4 44. g3 Nxd5 45. Bb2 Ne3 46. d4 Nf5 47. dxe5 Nxg3 48. exf6 gxf6 49. Kg2 Nf5 50. Kh3 Ke6 51. Bc3 Ne7 52. Kg3 Ng6 53. Bd4 f5 54. Be3 Ke5 55. Bg5 Nf8 56. Kf2 Ne6 57. Bc1 Nf4 58. Bd2 Nd5 59. Bg5 Nf4 60. Ke3 Ne6 61. Be7 Kd5 62. Kd3 Nf4+ 63. Ke3 Ng6 64. Bg5 Kc4 65. Bf6 Kd5 66. Bg5 Ke5 67. Bd8 f4+ 68. Kd3 Kf5 69. Ke2 Ne5 70. Bc7 Nc6 71. Kd3 Nb4+ 72. Kc4 Nc2 73. Kd3 Ne3 74. Bb6 Nd5 75. Bc5 Nf6 76. Be7 Nd7 77. Bd6 Nf6 78. Be7 Nd7 79. Bd6 Nf6 80. Be7 1/2-1/2