[Event "U.S. Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.07"] [Round "3.1"] [White "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"] [Black "Swiercz, Dariusz"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "C78"] [WhiteElo "2745"] [BlackElo "2620"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. d4 Bb6 9. Re1 O-O 10. Bg5 h6 11. Bh4 Bb7 12. a4 exd4 13. cxd4 g5 14. Nxg5 {Taking up the gauntlet and sacrificing a piece for an attack. This has already been played before.} hxg5 15. Bxg5 Nxd4 {The best defense according to popular analysis—the move has been employed in dozens of correspondence games.} 16. Bd5 Bxd5 (16... c6 17. Ra3 $1 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] and the white rook decisively enters the attack on the kingside.}) 17. exd5 {White is threatening a rook-lift with Ra1-a3-g3 here.} Nf5 {Both players were playing fluently until now, indicating their preparedness.} 18. Nd2 {A new move for over-the-board games, played after 52 minutes of thought.} (18. Qf3 Nd4 19. Qg3 Nh5 20. Qh4 Qd7 21. Qxh5 (21. Be3 $6 {[%c_effect e3;square;e3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} Rfe8 {and Black was fine, in Mammadzada (2455) - Tsolakidou (2362) Chennai Olympiad 2022}) 21... Qf5 {with a complex position.}) 18... Bd4 19. Qf3 Qd7 $4 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;Blunder;persistent;true] This is the wrong square for the queen.} ({Better was} 19... Qc8 {with a complex game, as the black knight on f5 will not suffer as in the game.}) 20. Bxf6 Bxf6 21. Qg4+ Bg7 22. Ne4 {White has a large advantage now.} Qc8 (22... f6 23. Ng3 {and White gains the piece back.}) 23. Nf6+ Kh8 24. Qh5+ Nh6 (24... Bh6 25. Ra3 {will be decisive.}) 25. g4 $1 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Stopping ...Qf5, and preparing for Ra1-a3-h3, etc.} bxa4 26. Rxa4 Qb7 27. g5 Qxb2 28. Rae4 {White seemed to be in the driver's seat here, as the black king looked poorly guarded.} a5 29. Ng4 $6 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} a4 30. R1e2 (30. Nxh6 $4 {[%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} Bxh6 31. Qxh6+ Kg8 {and White doesn't have a win anymore.} 32. g6 Qg7) ({White had a win with} 30. Kh1 $1 {[%c_effect h1;square;h1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} a3 31. Nxh6 Bxh6 32. Qxh6+ Kg8 33. g6 {as the g-file is open to facilitate an attack.}) 30... Qa1+ 31. Re1 Qb2 32. R1e2 {Unfortunately, short of time and unable to find the win, Dominguez decided to repeat moves here.} Qa1+ 33. Kg2 a3 34. Re1 Qb2 35. R1e2 Qa1 36. Re1 Qb2 37. R1e2 Qa1 1/2-1/2 [Event "U.S. Championship"] [Site "chess24.com"] [Date "2023.10.07"] [Round "3.2"] [White "Robson, Ray"] [Black "Mishra, Abhimanyu"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E01"] [WhiteElo "2699"] [BlackElo "2592"] [Annotator "Bojkov,Dejan"] [PlyCount "112"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] [WhiteTeam "United States"] [BlackTeam "United States"] [WhiteTeamCountry "USA"] [BlackTeamCountry "USA"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. g3 dxc4 6. Bg2 Nbd7 7. O-O b5 8. e4 Bb7 9. e5 Nd5 10. Ng5 {One of the many aggressive attempts to gain more than positional compensation for the pawn in these lines.} h6 {Mishra reacts in the most principled way.} ({Black is, of course, not forced to go for the knight and may choose instead:} 10... Be7 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qh6 Bf8 13. Qh3 Be7 14. Qh6 Bf8 15. Qh3 Be7 16. Qh6 {1/2-1/2 (16) Andreikin,D (2729)-Sarana,A (2662) Chess. com INT 2022}) ({Whereas according to Megabase, the first game of the line saw} 10... Nxc3 11. bxc3 Nb6 12. Qh5 g6 13. Qf3 Qd7 14. Qf6 Rg8 15. Nxh7 {and White went on to win in Malich,B-Bisguier,A Munich 1958}) 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. Qh5+ Ke7 13. Ne4 {The black king is in danger, and therefore Black needs to give back a portion of the material.} Qe8 14. Bg5+ hxg5 15. Qxh8 Kd8 16. Nxg5 {This line has returned to the spotlight thanks to the efforts of Russian GMs Andreikin and Sarana.} Qe7 {Galkin's approach.} ({The main move is} 16... Kc8 17. Qh3 Nc7 18. Rfc1 Nb6 19. b3 c5 20. bxc4 bxc4 21. Rab1 {as in the recent game Andreikin,D (2728)-Xiong,J (2700) Chess.com INT 2021}) 17. Qh5 {Robson is in turn blitzing out his moves.} ({Bu reacted worse in the predecessor game and after} 17. f4 Kc7 18. Bh3 c5 19. a4 cxd4 20. Nxe6+ Kb6 $1 {[%c_effect b6;square;b6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] the black king was perfectly safe and White did not get adequate compensation. Bu,X (2565) -Galkin,A (2566) Lausanne 2000}) 17... Kc7 18. Qg6 Re8 {White needs open files for his rooks, and therefore the next move comes to mind.} 19. a4 {This was also practically blitzed out, and then Mishra uncorked a novelty.[#]} Kb8 $146 {This is practically forced. Black is not only solidifying his queenside, but also freeing up the c7-square for his knight.} ({A previous game saw Black suffering at once after:} 19... a6 $2 {[%c_effect a6;square;a6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 20. axb5 cxb5 21. Bh3 $1 {[%c_effect h3;square;h3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] That's the point—the e6-pawn drops.} Kb8 22. Nxe6 N7b6 23. Nc5 {Tsolakidou,S (2377)-Ezra,P (2198) Lichess.org INT 2021}) 20. Ra3 $1 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] It turns out that Robson intended not only a queenside attack. This rook lift puts tremendous pressure on the black kingside, whereas the e6-pawn is once again in a delicate situation. Not everything is as one-sided as it seems though.} ({Here} 20. Bh3 {does not yield anything to White due to the simple} Nc7 $1 {[%c_effect c7;square;c7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 20... Nc7 $1 {[%c_effect c7;square;c7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A nice move that aims to protect everything.} 21. Rf3 bxa4 $1 {[%c_effect a4;square;a4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A modern, concrete approach. And an even nicer reaction by Black $1 Mishra should definitely have known this idea. The capture looks ugly, indeed, but it significantly speeds up the counterplay on the queenside, in a situation where every tempo counts.} 22. h4 {A correct decision $1 White needs to improve as much as he can on his own flank before forcing matters.} ({Black's main idea is revealed in the line} 22. Rf7 Qd8 23. Nh7 a3 $1 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] when the \"ugly\" pawn clears the road for the other \"ugly\" one.} 24. bxa3 Bxa3 25. Rxg7 c3 {and Black is faster.}) 22... Qd8 23. Rf7 Re7 ({Here} 23... a3 $6 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] only helps White and after} 24. bxa3 Bxa3 {White has a lot of pleasant choices, such as} 25. Rxg7 (25. Rb1 $5 {[%c_effect b1;square;b1;type;Interesting;persistent;true]}) (25. h5 $5 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;Interesting;persistent;true]})) 24. Rf4 {Robson keeps his opponent's pieces in their overcrowded house, stepping on their toes.} ({There was a direct attempt instead with} 24. Rxe7 $5 {[%c_effect e7;square;e7;type;Interesting;persistent;true]} Qxe7 25. Rc1 Nb6 26. Rc3 Qb4 27. Rf3 Nc8 28. Nxe6 Be7 29. Nxc7 {when} Kxc7 $2 {[%c_effect c7;square;c7;type;Mistake;persistent;true] loses to} ({However, Black has a nice refutation instead} 29... Qxb2 $3 {[%c_effect b2;square;b2;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} 30. Rf7 c3 31. Rxe7 c2 $1 {[%c_effect c2;square;c2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] when White is badly missing his rooks on the back rank.}) 30. Rf7 Qxb2 31. Rxe7+ Nxe7 32. Qd6+ Kb6 33. Qc5+ Ka6 34. Bf1 $1 {[%c_effect f1;square;f1;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 24... Qe8 {Aiming to relieve the pressure with trades.} ({White is better after} 24... Nd5 25. Bxd5 cxd5 ({Or} 25... exd5 26. Nh7) 26. h5) 25. Qh7 {Quite a good move again.} ({And the alternative} 25. h5 $5 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;Interesting;persistent;true]} Qxg6 26. hxg6 {also looked good for White.}) 25... g6 ({The machine instead suggests} 25... Nd5 {as a stronger defense and claims equality after say} 26. Bxd5 exd5 27. Qg8 Kc7 28. Nf7 Re6 29. Ng5 Re7) 26. Rf7 {One inaccuracy $1 That's all it takes to turn a favorable position into a bad one in such extreme, irrational situations.} ({So far White was avoiding trades and nicely executing a limiting strategy against the opponent's army. This same strategy could have been successfully followed with} 26. Nf7 $1 {[%c_effect f7;square;f7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nb6 ({In comparison to the game} 26... c5 27. Bxb7 Kxb7 28. Nd6+ {definitely does not look good for Black.}) 27. Qxg6 Nbd5 28. Bxd5 Nxd5 29. Rf3 {when} c5 {remains Black's best chance but White seems faster on the kingside after} 30. h5 (30. Qg8 $1 {[%c_effect g8;square;g8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] might be even better according to the machine.}) 30... cxd4 $2 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 31. Nd6 $1 {[%c_effect d6;square;d6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Qxg6 ({Or} 31... Qd8 32. Qg8) 32. Rxf8+ Re8 33. Rxe8+ Qxe8 34. Nxe8) 26... c5 $1 {[%c_effect c5;square;c5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The white center falls apart and he needs to retreat.} 27. Bxb7 ({It changes nothing to play} 27. Qxg6 Bxg2 28. Kxg2 cxd4) 27... Kxb7 28. Qxg6 ({Or} 28. dxc5 Nxe5) 28... Rxf7 ({But not} 28... cxd4 29. Qe4+ $1 {[%c_effect e4;square;e4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] when White is back in the game.}) 29. Nxf7 cxd4 30. Qe4+ ({Maybe it was worth trying} 30. h5 {to which Black needs to find the beautiful prophylaxis} Ka6 $3 {[%c_effect a6;square;a6;type;Brilliant;persistent;true] when} 31. h6 {does not work due to} Bxh6 $1 {[%c_effect h6;square;h6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] and there is no saving check on e4 $1}) 30... Nd5 {The tide has turned in Black's favor.} 31. Nd6+ {And this only makes things worse.} ({The last chance was} 31. Ng5 $5 {[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;Interesting;persistent;true]} Bc5 32. Nf3 Qh5 {and then the sharp} 33. g4 Qh6 34. Nxd4 {when Black should be better, but anything is still possible.}) 31... Bxd6 32. exd6 Qh8 $1 {[%c_effect h8;square;h8;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Black consolidates. What's more, he is ready to start moving his pawns.} 33. Rd1 ({In case of the direct} 33. Rc1 {Black has} Qe5 $1 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 34. Qxe5 Nxe5 35. d7 Kc7) 33... Ne5 $1 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Small tactics ensure Black has an edge.} 34. d7 ({As} 34. Rxd4 $2 {[%c_effect d4;square;d4;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} Nf3+ {drops a whole rook.}) 34... Nxd7 ({Even stronger might have been} 34... Kc7 $1 {[%c_effect c7;square;c7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 35. f4 Nc6 36. Qxe6 Nb6 $1 {[%c_effect b6;square;b6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 35. Qxd4 Qxd4 36. Rxd4 a3 $1 {[%c_effect a3;square;a3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] The decisive breakthrough. It is that ugly b5xa4 move that wins the game after all $1} (36... Ne5 $5 {[%c_effect e5;square;e5;type;Interesting;persistent;true]} 37. Rd1 a3 {would have been great as well.}) 37. bxa3 c3 38. Rd1 Nc5 39. h5 Nd3 {The rook is lost, whereas the white passers are too slow.} 40. h6 c2 41. Rf1 Nf6 42. g4 Nh7 43. Kg2 c1=Q 44. Rxc1 Nxc1 45. f4 Kc6 46. Kf3 ({Or} 46. g5 Nf8) 46... Kd5 47. g5 Nf8 48. Kg4 Nd3 49. f5 Ne5+ 50. Kf4 Nfg6+ {The simplest solution.} 51. fxg6 Nxg6+ 52. Kg4 Ke4 53. a4 a5 54. h7 Ke5 55. Kh5 Kf5 56. Kh6 e5 {0-} 0-1 [Event "U.S. Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.07"] [Round "3.5"] [White "Niemann, Hans Moke"] [Black "Shankland, Sam"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "C54"] [WhiteElo "2667"] [BlackElo "2698"] [Annotator "Admin"] [PlyCount "94"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. O-O O-O 6. Nbd2 d6 7. c3 a5 8. Re1 h6 9. Nf1 Bb6 10. h3 Be6 11. Bb5 Bd7 12. Ba4 Ne7 13. Bc2 Ng6 14. d4 Re8 15. Ng3 Bc6 16. Be3 a4 17. a3 exd4 18. Bxd4 Nd7 19. Nf5 Nde5 20. Bxb6 cxb6 21. N3d4 b5 22. Ne3 Qg5 23. Ndf5 h5 24. Kh1 ({White had an unbelievable resource here:} 24. f4 $3 {[%c_effect f4;square;f4;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} Nxf4 (24... Qxf4 25. Qxh5 {and the black queen is in trouble.} Ne7 (25... Bxe4 26. Bxe4 Qxe4 27. Nxg7 $1 {[%c_effect g7;square;g7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nf4 (27... Kxg7 28. Nf5+) 28. Qh6 {and White is better.}) 26. Rf1 g6 27. Qe2 Qg5 28. h4 Qh5 29. Qxh5 gxh5 30. Nxd6 $16) 25. h4 $1 {[%c_effect h4;square;h4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Qd8 (25... Qg6 26. Rf1 Ne6 27. Qxd6) 26. Rf1 Nfg6 27. Qxh5 {and White has a better position.}) 24... h4 25. Qd2 Nf4 26. f3 g6 27. Nd4 d5 {Black is slightly better here.} 28. exd5 Nxd5 29. Nc4 $2 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type;Mistake;persistent;true] In his eagerness to simplify the position, White hands the game over to Black, who now has a large advantage.} (29. Rad1 Nf4 30. Nxc6 bxc6 {with a slightly better position for White.}) 29... Qxd2 30. Nxd2 f5 {Denying the e4-square for the white pieces.} 31. Re2 Nf4 32. Re3 Nd5 33. Re2 Nf4 34. Re3 Kf7 35. Rae1 Kf6 36. Kh2 Nd5 37. R3e2 Nf4 38. Re3 Re7 39. Kg1 $2 {[%c_effect g1;square;g1;type;Mistake;persistent;true] This hastens the end.} (39. Rf1 Rae8 40. Rf2 {was a better way to defend, but these are not moves that are easy to find over the board.}) 39... Rae8 $6 {[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (39... Nd5 40. R3e2 Rae8 {was the correct move order.}) 40. Kh1 $2 {[%c_effect h1;square;h1;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (40. Rf1 {leaves White with a worse position, though without loss of material.}) 40... Nd5 41. R3e2 Nf4 42. Re3 Nxf3 $1 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] This tactical shot wins for Black now.} 43. Rxe7 Nxe1 44. Rxe8 Bxe8 45. Bd1 Nexg2 46. Bf3 Ne3 47. Bxb7 Nxh3 {0-} 0-1 [Event "U.S. Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.07"] [Round "3.6"] [White "Xiong, Jeffery"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E32"] [WhiteElo "2693"] [BlackElo "2786"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "152"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Nf3 Bb7 9. b3 Nbd7 10. Bb2 c5 11. Be2 Rc8 12. O-O Ne4 13. Qd3 Qe7 14. a4 a5 15. Rac1 Rfd8 16. Qb1 dxc4 17. bxc4 Ng5 18. Nxg5 Qxg5 19. g3 Bc6 20. Qc2 Nf6 21. Rcd1 Qh6 22. h4 Ne4 23. d5 $2 {[%c_effect d5;square;d5;type;Mistake;persistent;true] This was a misadventure, as Black sacrifices the exchange and gains enormous compensation due to the weakness of the light squares on the kingside.} exd5 24. Bg4 {White carries on with his idea, probably assuming that Black is forced to move his rook away from c8.} dxc4 $1 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Black correctly assesses that his light-square bishop will be a big asset in the ensuing middlegame.} (24... Ra8 $2 {[%c_effect a8;square;a8;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 25. Bf5 {was probably White's idea, with a level position.}) 25. Bxc8 Rxc8 26. Qxc4 Re8 27. Qe2 Bxa4 $6 {[%c_effect a4;square;a4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] There was no need to hurry with this capture.} ({Better was} 27... Qe6 {Black is threatening ...Qh3.}) 28. Rd5 Bc6 29. Re5 Rxe5 30. Bxe5 {After exchanging a pair of rooks, White's defense is easier.} Qe6 31. Bc7 $2 {[%c_effect c7;square;c7;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (31. Bf4 Nc3 32. Qd3 Nd5 {and Black has a slight advantage.}) 31... Nc3 32. Qd3 Nd5 {The dark-squared bishop has issues with finding a good position on the board.} 33. Bb8 Qe8 $2 {[%c_effect e8;square;e8;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({It was important for Black to provide his king with an escape square with} 33... h6 {There is no point in attacking the b6-pawn now with} 34. Ba7 (34. e4 Nb4 35. Qd8+ Kh7 36. f3 Bb5 {and Black is clearly better.}) 34... Qh3 35. e4 Nf6 {and Black develops a dangerous attack.}) 34. Bd6 $2 {[%c_effect d6;square;d6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({It was important for White to attack the b6-pawn with} 34. Ba7 $1 {[%c_effect a7;square;a7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Qe7 35. Qa6 {and White gets enough counterplay to give him equality.}) 34... h6 {Caruana gets it right now.} 35. Rd1 Qe6 36. Bb8 Nf6 {The game gets spoiled by time pressure here, as both sides are not making ideal moves.} (36... Nb4 37. Qe2 a4 $19) 37. Qb1 Be4 38. Rd8+ Kh7 39. Qd1 Qf5 (39... c4 $1 {[%c_effect c4;square;c4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 40. Bf4 c4 {The time control has been reached, and Black has a slight advantage, but the position is extremely dynamic.} 41. f3 Bd3 42. g4 Qc5 43. Rxd3 cxd3 44. Qxd3+ g6 $6 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] Black weakens his kingside, and the position is now almost balanced.} (44... Kh8 45. Qd8+ Ng8 {and White has to work hard to generate play to achieve equality.}) 45. h5 $1 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Nd5 46. hxg6+ fxg6 47. Kg2 a4 48. Kg3 Nxf4 49. Qd7+ Kg8 50. exf4 a3 51. Qe6+ Kg7 52. f5 Qc7+ 53. Kf2 gxf5 54. gxf5 {White has enough counterplay to achieve a draw, as Black's king is quite exposed.} Qf7 55. Qxb6 a2 56. Qd4+ Kh7 57. Qa4 $4 {[%c_effect a4;square;a4;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (57. f6 Kg6 58. Qe4+ Kxf6 {White should be able to achieve a perpetual check now.} 59. Qf4+ Kg7 60. Qg4+ Kh7 61. Qe4+ Kh8 62. Qd4+ Kg8 63. Qd8+) 57... h5 $4 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} ({The engine points out a win here, but it is probably beyond human practical thinking.} 57... Qc7 $1 {[%c_effect c7;square;c7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] and Black will achieve a complicated win:} 58. f6 (58. Kg2 Qg7+ 59. Kf2 a1=Q) (58. f4 Qb6+ 59. Kf3 Qb7+ 60. Kg3 (60. Ke3 Qg2 61. Qa7+ Kh8 62. Qb8+ Qg8 63. Qe5+ Kh7 64. Kf2 Qg7 65. f6 Qa7+ {with a win.}) 60... Qg7+) 58... Qh2+ {and White cannot stop Black's a-pawn from queening.} 59. Ke3 Qg1+ 60. Ke2 a1=Q) 58. Qa6 Kg7 59. Kg2 (59. f6+ $1 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} Kh6 60. Qa4 {is a better try for a draw.}) 59... h4 60. Qa4 $4 {[%c_effect a4;square;a4;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} Qd5 61. Qg4+ Kf8 62. Qb4+ Kf7 63. Qb2 h3+ 64. Kg3 (64. Kxh3 Qxf3+ {will ultimately end in a black win.}) 64... Ke7 $4 {[%c_effect e7;square;e7;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (64... Qd6+ 65. Kg4 Qa6 66. Qb3+ Kg7 67. f6+ Kxf6 68. Qc3+ Kf7 69. Qc7+ Ke6 {with a win for Black.}) 65. Qg7+ Kd6 66. Qf8+ $4 {[%c_effect f8;square;f8;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (66. Qf6+ Kc5 67. Qc3+ {will give White a perpetual check.}) 66... Ke5 67. Qh8+ Kxf5 68. Qh5+ Ke6 69. Qe8+ Kf6 70. Qf8+ Kg6 71. Qe8+ Kg7 72. Qe7+ Qf7 73. Qa3 {Black wins now:} Kg8 74. Qa8+ Kh7 75. Kxh3 Qe6+ 76. Kg2 Qg8+ {0-} 0-1 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.07"] [Round "3.3"] [White "Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim"] [Black "Abrahamyan, Tatev"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "E04"] [WhiteElo "2350"] [BlackElo "2262"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. O-O Rb8 7. a4 a6 8. a5 b5 9. axb6 cxb6 10. Bf4 Bd6 11. Ne5 Ne7 12. Bc6+ Nxc6 $2 {[%c_effect c6;square;c6;type;Mistake;persistent;true] Black decides to give up an exchange, but she doesn't get complete compensation.} (12... Kf8 13. Bg2 {with a slightly better position for White, as she has compensation for the pawn.}) 13. Nxc6 Qc7 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Nxb8 Qxb8 {Black aims to drum up an attack on the white king with her light-squared bishop.} 16. Qa4+ $6 {[%c_effect a4;square;a4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true]} (16. Qc2 b5 17. Nd2 Bb7 18. b3 {with a clearly better position for White.}) 16... b5 17. Qb4 Bb7 18. Nd2 $6 {[%c_effect d2;square;d2;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] White doesn't suspect the danger towards her king..} h5 $1 {[%c_effect h5;square;h5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 19. e4 h4 20. Rfe1 hxg3 21. hxg3 Ng4 $6 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Inaccuracy;persistent;true] Strangely, this obvious move is not the perfect one.} (21... Kd7 $1 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] and Black should aim to double her major pieces on the h-file.}) 22. Nf1 $2 {[%c_effect f1;square;f1;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (22. Nf3 {and White refutes Black's attack.}) 22... f5 23. f3 Nh2 $1 {[%c_effect h2;square;h2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Probably what White had overlooked. Black gains a good attack on the kingside now.} 24. Kg2 $2 {[%c_effect g2;square;g2;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} (24. exf5 {This anti-intuitive move is the best resource for White here.} Nxf3+ 25. Kf2 Nxe1 26. Rxe1 Bd5 {with a complicated position, where Black retains slightly better chances.}) 24... Nxf1 25. Rxf1 fxe4 26. Rh1 exf3+ $2 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({Black has a brilliant resource in} 26... Kd7 $3 {[%c_effect d7;square;d7;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} 27. Kf2 (27. Qc5 Qf8 28. Qxf8 Rxf8 {and the ending is winning for Black.}) 27... Rf8 {and the white king comes under attack.}) 27. Kf2 Rxh1 28. Rxh1 {Tables are turned now, and the position is level, as Black doesn't have dynamic possibilities anymore.} Kf7 29. Rh4 Qd8 30. Qc5 Bd5 31. Qa7+ Kg8 32. Rf4 Qe8 {Black is defending precisly, but her task is more difficult than White's.} 33. Rg4 Qf8 34. Qd7 Qf7 35. Qd8+ Qf8 36. Qg5 a5 37. Rh4 {In Black's time pressure, White lays a trap.} Qf6 $4 {[%c_effect f6;square;f6;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} 38. Qh5 {Black is lost now, as White is threatening to invade on the h-file as well as bring the rook to the f4-square.} g5 39. Qe8+ Kg7 40. Qh8+ 1-0 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.07"] [Round "3.5"] [White "Lee, Alice"] [Black "Yip, Carissa"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E92"] [WhiteElo "2388"] [BlackElo "2372"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "82"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O h6 8. d5 a5 9. Ne1 Na6 10. b3 Nc5 11. Qc2 b6 12. Bd2 Nfd7 13. Bg4 f5 14. exf5 Nf6 15. Bh3 gxf5 16. Qc1 Rf7 17. f3 Nh7 18. Bxh6 f4 19. Bxc8 Qxc8 20. Bxg7 Rxg7 21. Qc2 Qh3 22. Kh1 Qh5 23. Nd3 Nxd3 24. Qxd3 Ng5 25. Ne4 Nh7 26. a3 Rg6 27. Ra2 Kh8 28. Kg1 Rag8 29. g4 $1 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] Commentators Seirawan and Chirila praised this move for Lee's resourcefulness. However, Black still has attacking resources.} fxg3 30. hxg3 Rh6 31. Rg2 Rf8 32. Kf2 Nf6 33. Nxf6 Rhxf6 34. g4 $2 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Mistake;persistent;true] White wilts under time pressure.} ({The only resource was} 34. f4 {but it is probably impossible to find it with so little time.} exf4 35. Kg1 Qf5 36. Qxf5 Rxf5 37. gxf4) 34... Qh3 35. Rg3 $4 {[%c_effect g3;square;g3;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} (35. Kg1 {White can survive but she will still be under pressure.}) 35... Qh2+ 36. Ke3 Kg7 $3 {[%c_effect g7;square;g7;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} ({Sidestepping} 36... Qxg3 $4 {[%c_effect g3;square;g3;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} 37. Rh1+ {and White wins.}) 37. g5 Rf4 $19 {The white king comes under heavy attack here.} 38. Rfg1 (38. Rgg1 Rxf3+) (38. Rg4 Rxg4 39. fxg4 Qh3+) 38... Rxf3+ $1 {[%c_effect f3;square;f3;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} 39. Rxf3 Qxg1+ 40. Kd2 Qg2+ 41. Qe2 Qxf3 {0-} 0-1 [Event "U.S. Women's Chess Championship 2023"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.07"] [Round "3.6"] [White "Krush, Irina"] [Black "Pourkashiyan, Atousa"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D35"] [WhiteElo "2437"] [BlackElo "2288"] [Annotator "Saravanan,V"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2023.??.??"] [EventCountry "USA"] [SourceVersionDate "2023.10.06"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nc3 c6 6. Qc2 Na6 7. a3 Nc7 8. Bf4 Bd6 9. Bxd6 Qxd6 10. e3 Bg4 11. Ne5 Bh5 12. Bd3 Bg6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. O-O O-O 15. f4 Qe6 16. Rf3 Nb5 17. Raf1 Nd6 18. Qf2 {White is all set for a kingside attack.} Nfe4 $2 {[%c_effect e4;square;e4;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({Black could have waited with} 18... Rfe8 19. Rh3 (19. Qh4 Nf5) 19... Ng4 {and Black will be able to thwart White's setup on the kingside.}) 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20. Qh4 {White has some initiative now.} Qf6 21. Qe1 Rfe8 22. g4 $2 {[%c_effect g4;square;g4;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({White misses} 22. f5 $1 {[%c_effect f5;square;f5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]} g5 23. Ng4 {with an initiative on the kingside.}) 22... Qe7 $2 {[%c_effect e7;square;e7;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({Black should attack White's center with} 22... c5) 23. Rh3 {Once again, White aims for a kingside attack now.} g5 24. fxg5 Nxg5 25. Rh5 g6 $2 {[%c_effect g6;square;g6;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} ({Black's best chance was to give up her queen with} 25... f6 26. Rh8+ Kxh8 27. Ng6+ Kg8 28. Nxe7+ Rxe7 {and White's advantage is not huge here, though she is better.}) 26. Rh6 Kg7 27. Qh4 {It is probably only here that Black realised the danger to her position.} Rac8 (27... Rh8 $4 {[%c_effect h8;square;h8;type;Blunder;persistent;true] is met with} 28. Rxf7+ $3 {[%c_effect f7;square;f7;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]} Qxf7 (28... Nxf7 29. Qxe7 $18) 29. Qxg5 $1 {[%c_effect g5;square;g5;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] and White's attack is powerful.}) (27... Rf8 $2 {[%c_effect f8;square;f8;type;Mistake;persistent;true]} 28. Rh7+ $1 {[%c_effect h7;square;h7;type;GreatFind;persistent;true]}) 28. Kg2 $1 {[%c_effect g2;square;g2;type;GreatFind;persistent;true] A move of class $1 White sidesteps Black's ...Nf3+ resource.} Rc7 (28... Rf8 29. Rh7+ $3 {[%c_effect h7;square;h7;type;Brilliant;persistent;true]}) 29. Rxf7+ {There was no defense against this shot anyway.} Qxf7 30. Rxg6+ (30. Qxg5 Rxe5 31. dxe5 {would have won too.}) 30... Qxg6 31. Nxg6 Nf7 32. Qg3 $18 {Black's king is perennially exposed.} Rd7 33. Nh4 Nd6 34. Qf4 Rf8 35. Qe5+ Kf7 36. g5 Rdd8 37. g6+ Kg8 38. Qe7 Nf7 39. Nf5 Rb8 40. gxf7+ 1-0