[Event "ch-USA w 2022"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2022.10.18"] [Round "12"] [White "Yu, Jennifer"] [Black "Krush, Irina"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E76"] [WhiteElo "2297"] [BlackElo "2432"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "76"] [EventDate "2022.10.04"] {[%evp 0,76,28,28,14,3,43,33,33,42,43,43,43,30,26,12,47,5,-13,-13,-19,-22,-21,-90,-73,-73,-77,-80,-67,-79,-69,-85,-74,-74,-64,-81,-14,-52,-55,-100,-95,-95,-102,-105,-18,-80,-76,-77,-86,-102,-88,-88,-98,-86,-75,-84,-86,-86,-58,-64,-7,32,-6,-475,-456,-461,-446,-692,-428,-422,-433,-709,-768,-774,-760,-29983,-29984,-29985,-29986]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. f4 O-O 7. Nf3 e6 {Yu played an aggressive setup against Black's Benoni, but now she seems unsure of how to continue. If White wants to play dxe6, she should continue with Bd3, and if she wants to play Be2 she should do so without swapping on e6.} 8. dxe6 (8. Be2 exd5 9. cxd5 {presents a tabiya of the Four Pawns Attack against the King's Indian that can (and does) arise through a Modern Benoni move order as well.}) 8... fxe6 9. Be2 ({Here} 9. Bd3 {is standard, putting the bishop on an aggressive diagonal in anticipation of an eventual f5.}) 9... Nc6 10. O-O b6 11. Ne1 $2 {This is an odd move. I've never seen this retreat in positions of this type, and it hadn't been played here in 58 prior games. The computer dislikes it too, but most fundamentally--I don't understand it. Did White intend to play g4? If so, 11.h3 looks a more natural way to prepare it; if not, I don't know what it's about.} Bb7 $17 12. Be3 Nd4 13. Bd3 Qe7 14. Nc2 Nd7 (14... Nc6 $17) 15. Rb1 (15. Qd2) 15... Rf7 16. Qd2 Raf8 17. Rbe1 e5 $2 (17... Qh4 $142 $17) 18. Nd5 $2 (18. f5 $1 gxf5 19. Bg5 Qe8 20. exf5 Nxf5 21. Bxf5 Rxf5 22. Rxf5 Rxf5 23. Nb5 Bf8 24. g4 Rf7 25. Nxd6 Bxd6 26. Qxd6 Rg7 27. h4 $11) 18... Bxd5 19. exd5 Nxc2 20. Bxc2 exf4 21. Rxf4 $2 (21. Bxf4) 21... Rxf4 $2 (21... Bxb2 $19) 22. Bxf4 Bd4+ 23. Kh1 Qf6 $2 (23... Ne5 $17) 24. g3 $11 Ne5 25. Qe2 Bxb2 26. h4 Bd4 27. Kg2 Qe7 28. Rf1 (28. Ba4) 28... Qd7 29. Bxe5 Re8 $4 {Too clever by half.} (29... Bxe5 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 31. h5 $11) 30. Qf3 $1 $18 Bxe5 {While most of the game has gone against Yu, her big chance has arrived. She has a winning advantage now, and if she can convert it she'll eliminate Krush from contention for first, and will only need to draw against Cervantes in the final round to take the title. The natural move here is 31.h5, and that should (eventually) do the trick. Instead, something insane happens.} 31. Ba4 $4 {What in the world????} (31. h5 Qe7 (31... g5 32. h6 $1 $18 {followed by Bf5-e6(+) ought to win with room to spare.}) 32. hxg6 Bg7 (32... hxg6 33. Bxg6 Rf8 34. Bh7+ $1 Kg7 35. Qg4+ $1 $18) 33. gxh7+ Kh8 34. Qd3 $18) 31... Qxa4 $19 {Um, thanks? Thanks!} 32. Qf7+ Kh8 33. h5 gxh5 34. Rf5 Bd4 35. Rg5 Qc2+ 36. Kh3 Qe4 37. Rxh5 Qh1+ 38. Kg4 Re4+ (38... Re4+ 39. Kf5 (39. Kg5 Be3+ 40. Kf5 Qf3#) 39... Qf3+ 40. Kg5 Qg4+ 41. Kh6 Be3+ 42. Rg5 Qxg5#) 0-1