[Event "Speed Chess Championship Main Event 202"] [Site "http://www.chess.com"] [Date "2021.11.15"] [Round "21"] [White "Xiong, Jeffery"] [Black "So, Wesley"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A09"] [WhiteElo "2699"] [BlackElo "2814"] [Annotator "Monokroussos,Dennis"] [PlyCount "56"] [EventDate "2021.??.??"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. b4 f6 4. e3 e5 5. c5 a5 6. Qa4+ c6 (6... Bd7 {is usual, but Black has done well with the text in a limited number of games.} 7. b5 Bxc5 8. Bc4 Ne7 9. exd4 exd4 10. Ba3 {etc.}) 7. Bc4 Na6 {Not forced, but arguably Black's best move.} 8. a3 $146 Ne7 ({The engine wants to include} 8... dxe3 9. fxe3 {before proceeding as in the game.} axb4 10. axb4 Nc7 11. Qxa8 Nxa8 12. Rxa8 Ne7 13. Nc3 b5 $8 14. Ba2 Qd3 $8 15. Kf2 g5 16. Rd1 $14 {still favors White to some extent, but it's not as bad for Black as the game.}) 9. O-O $1 { Not afraid of the queen "sac" to come, but welcoming it.} axb4 10. axb4 Nc7 11. Qxa8 Nxa8 12. Rxa8 $16 g5 (12... Nd5) 13. exd4 (13. Bb2 $16 {may improve.}) 13... e4 $2 (13... g4 $142 14. Nh4 b5 15. cxb6 Qxb6 16. dxe5 $14 {/+/-}) 14. Re1 $18 (14. Nc3 {may be even stronger, but both moves are crushing. (Or ought to be.)}) 14... exf3 (14... b5) 15. Nc3 $1 {A massive improvement on their earlier game. Xiong had time to check this line in the break between the five-minute and three-minute segments, and saw that this was winning.} (15. Be6 $2 Qxd4 $11 16. Bxc8 $2 (16. Na3 $1 $11) 16... Kf7 $19 17. Be6+ Kg6 18. Nc3 Qxb4 $4 {In giving the move two question marks I don't mean to suggest that it's an obvious error. Rather, it's because the move flips the evaluation from winning for Black to winning for White.} (18... Nf5 $19) 19. Ne4 $4 (19. Re4 $1 {Coincidentally, the same error - Ne4 instead of Re4 - also arises in the main game.} Qxc5 20. Ba3 Qb6 21. Bxe7 $18) 19... Bg7 $2 $15 (19... f5 $19) (19... Nd5 $19) 20. Ra3 Nd5 21. Nd6 Nf4 $4 {In this case, the pair of question marks is for the straightforward severity of the error.} (21... Bf8 $15 {/-/+}) 22. Bf7+ {and 1-0 was how Xiong won four games earlier, in the 5' + 1" segment. It's mate next move:} Kh6 23. Nf5#) 15... b5 16. Be6 $2 (16. cxb6 Qxb6 17. Rxc8+ Kd7 18. Ra8 $18 {should be relatively easy to convert, though of course accidents can happen in 3' + 1".}) 16... Qxd4 17. Ne4 $2 {And this gives away the advantage. It is what White wants to do, but the rook needed to be on e3 first.} (17. Re4 $1 Qd3 18. Re3 $1 Qd4 {and only now} 19. Ne4 $18 {retains a winning advantage.} Kd8 20. Nd6 Kc7 21. Rea3 $1 $18 {That's the difference. Black's king will be dragged back to d8, where he'll be quickly mated unless Black throws away almost every scrap of material starting with 21...Qxd6.}) 17... Kd8 $1 18. Nd6 Kc7 $11 19. Bxc8 Nxc8 20. Rxc8+ Kd7 21. Ree8 Bxd6 $2 ( 21... Qg4 {forces White to make an immediate perpetual.} 22. Rcd8+ Kc7 23. Rc8+ Kd7 $11) 22. Rcd8+ $1 Kc7 23. Rxh8 $4 (23. cxd6+ Qxd6 24. Rxd6 $4 Rxe8 $19 { is obviously bad for White, but after}) (23. cxd6+ Qxd6 24. Rxh8 Qxb4 (24... Qf4 25. Rde8 $18 {is essentially the same.}) 25. Rde8 $1 {White wins. The back rank is under control (25...Qb1 26.Re1), and if Black tries to mate White on the kingside with} Qg4 {, hoping for 26.g3?? Qh3, White first plays} 26. Rxh7+ $18 {and only then 27.g3.}) 23... Bxh2+ $1 24. Kxh2 Qxf2 {There's no way to defend g2, and there's no perpetual, either.} 25. Rc8+ Kd7 26. Rhd8+ Ke7 27. Re8+ Kf7 28. Rf8+ Kg7 (28... Kg7 29. Rg8+ Kh6 {and from here all White can do is throw away both rooks to delay, but not prevent, the mate.}) 0-1