[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.04.15"]
[Round "?"]
[White "H. H. Brower"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Dowd, Steve, Dr."]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3K4/6n1/4kN2/7B/5Q2/3P4/8/8 w - - 0 0"]
[PlyCount "3"]

{Diagram [#]} 1. Ne8 Nxh5 (1... Nxe8 2. Bf7#) (1... Nf5 2. Qe4#) 2. Nc7# *

[Event "New York simul"]
[Site "New York simul"]
[Date "1885.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Wilhelm Steinitz"]
[Black "John Lindsay McCutcheon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C12"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1885.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bxf6 (6. Bd2) 6... gxf6 7.
Nf3 f5 8. Bd3 c5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Qd2 Qe7 12. Qf4 Bd7 13. Nb5 O-O-O
14. c4 Be8 15. Rfc1 Kb8 16. a3 (16. cxd5 Rxd5 17. Bc4) 16... a6 17. Nc3 dxc4
18. Bxc4 Nd4 {Diagram [#]} 19. Ne2 Nxf3+ 20. Qxf3 Bc6 21. Qh3 Ka7 22. b4 Bb6
23. Nc3 Rhg8 24. Bf1 Rd2 25. Nd1 Qg5 26. Rxc6 bxc6 27. Qc3 Qf4 28. Qxc6 Rxd1
0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.04.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Giuoco Piano"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C54"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "25"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Nxe4 8.
O-O Nxc3 (8... Bxc3 9. bxc3 (9. d5 {Diagram [#]} Ne5 10. bxc3 Nxc4 11. Qd4 Ncd6
(11... O-O) 12. Qxg7 Qf6 13. Qxf6 Nxf6 14. Re1+ Kf8 15. Bh6+ Kg8 16. Re5 Nde4
17. Nd2 d6 18. Nxe4) 9... d5) 9. bxc3 Bxc3 10. Qb3 Bxa1 11. Bxf7+ Kf8 12. Bg5
Ne7 13. Ne5 *

[Event "Leipzig 1928"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.04.01"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Herman Steiner"]
[Black "Sammi Fajarowicz"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A51"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "61"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4 4. Qc2 d5 5. exd6 Bf5 6. Qa4+ Nc6 7. Nf3 Bxd6 8.
a3 Qf6 9. g3 O-O-O 10. Nbd2 Nc5 11. Qd1 Rhe8 12. Bg2 Bd3 13. e3 Be5 14. Nxe5
Nxe5 15. f4 Bxc4 16. Kf2 Be6 17. h3 Nb3 18. Kg1 Nxa1 19. fxe5 Qxe5 20. Qf3 Bd5
21. e4 Bc6 22. Kh2 Nc2 23. Qxf7 Rf8 24. Qb3 Nd4 25. Qc3 Rf2 26. Re1 Rdf8 27.
Kh1 Qf6 28. Rf1 Rxf1+ (28... Ne2) 29. Nxf1 Qxf1+ 30. Bxf1 Rxf1+ 31. Kg2 1-0

[Event "SportAccord World Mind Games (Men's Rap"]
[Site "Beijing CHN"]
[Date "2012.12.15"]
[Round "7.1"]
[White "Hikaru Nakamura"]
[Black "Alexander Morozevich"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2748"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2012.12.06"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. d3 e6 5. O-O Nf6 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. h3 Bh5 8. g4
Bg6 9. Nh4 Nbd7 10. e3 Bd6 11. f4 Ng8 12. Qe1 Ne7 13. e4 dxe4 14. f5 exf5 15.
gxf5 Bh5 16. Nxe4 Nf6 17. Nxd6+ Qxd6 18. Bf4 Qd7 19. Qg3 O-O-O 20. Be5 Ne8 21.
Qf2 f6 22. Bg3 Qd4 23. Rae1 Qxf2+ 24. Bxf2 Rd7 25. Bxa7 Nd6 26. Bc5 Kc7 27. Rf4
Ndc8 28. a4 b6 29.[Event "75th Tata Steel"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Van Wely, L."]
[Black "Nakamura, H."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2679"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "Benko"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/7k/R7/7P/P1p5/3bKBr1/8/8 w - - 0 60"]
[PlyCount "16"]
[EventDate "2013.02.18"]

{# # # #} 60. Rc6 (60. a5 c3 $1 61. Kxd3 Rxf3+ 62. Kc2 Rf5 $1 $11) 60... Bc2 $1
61. Rxc4 Bd1 62. Rf4 Rxf3+ (62... Bxf3 $2 63. Rxf3 Rg5 64. Ke4 Rxh5 65. Ra3 $1
$18) 63. Rxf3 Bxa4 {# #} 64. Rf6 (64. Kf4 Kh6 65. Rh3 Be8 (65... Bd1) 66. Rh2
Bb5 (66... Bxh5 $2 67. Kf5) 67. Kf5 Bc4 $11 (67... Kh7 68. Kg5 Bd3 $1 $11))
64... Be8 65. h6 Bg6 66. Rxg6 Kxg6 67. h7 Kxh7 1/2-1/2

[Event "75th Tata Steel"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Nakamura, H."]
[Black "Sokolov, I."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[WhiteElo "2769"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "Benko"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/3B4/5p1p/p5kP/Pr4P1/4P1K1/8 b - - 0 47"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2013.02.18"]

{# #} 47... f4 $5 (47... Rc3 48. Kf2 Kh3 49. e3 (49. Kf1 Rxg3 $19) 49... Kg4
50. Ke2 Rb3 $19) 48. gxf4 Kxh4 49. e4 Kg4 (49... Re3 50. f5 Kg5 51. Be7+ Kh6
52. Bf8+ Kh7 $19) 50. f5 Rd3 51. Bb4 h4 $2 (51... Rf3) 52. f6 h3+ 53. Kh2 Rf3
54. e5 Rf2+ 55. Kh1 {# #} Kh5 $2 (55... h2) 56. Bc5 Rf3 57. Kh2 Kg4 58. Bb4 $2
(58. Bb6 $1 Rxa3 (58... Kf5 59. Bc7) 59. f7 Ra2+ $11 {draws}) 58... Rf2+ 59.
Kh1 h2 60. f7 Rxf7 61. Kxh2 Rf2+ 62. Kg1 Re2 63. Bd6 Kf3 64. Kf1 Re4 65. Kg1
Re1+ 66. Kh2 {# #} Rd1 67. Bb4 Rd4 68. Bd6 (68. e6 Rh4+ 69. Kg1 Rxb4) 68...
Rh4+ (68... Rd2+ $1 69. Kg1 (69. Kh3 Kf4) 69... Rd1+ 70. Kh2 Re1 71. Bc7 Re2+
72. Kg1 Rg2+ 73. Kh1 Kf2 74. Bd6 Kf1 75. e6 Rg6 {wins}) 69. Kg1 Rh6 70. Bf8 Rh8
71. Bd6 Rh6 72. Bf8 Rb6 73. Bd6 Rb1+ 74. Kh2 Re1 75. Bc7 Ra1 76. Bd6 Rd1 77.
Bb4 Rd4 78. Bd6 Rg4 79. e6 Rg2+ 80. Kh1 Re2 81. e7 Kg4 82. Kg1 Kf5 83. Kf1 Re6
84. Kf2 Kg6 85. Kf3 Kf7 86. Bb4 Ke8 87. Bc5 Kd7 88. Bb4 Rb6 89. Bc5 Rc6 90. Bb4
Rc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "75th Tata Steel"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Giri, A."]
[Black "Hou, Yifan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2603"]
[Annotator "Benko"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/r6p/2B1p1p1/8/3k1P1P/6P1/4K3/8 b - - 0 64"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2013.02.18"]

{# #} 64... Rc7 65. Ba8 $2 h6 $1 66. Kf2 (66. Bg2 g5 67. fxg5 hxg5 68. Bh3 Rc3
$1) (66. Bf3 Rc2+) 66... g5 67. fxg5 hxg5 68. Kf3 (68. hxg5 Rg7) (68. h5 g4 $19
) 68... gxh4 69. gxh4 Ke5 70. h5 Rh7 71. Kg4 Rg7+ 72. Kh4 Kf5 73. h6 Rg8 74.
Bf3 {# #} e5 (74... Kg6 75. Bh5+ Kxh6 (75... Kf6) 76. Bf7 $2 $11) (74... Rg6
75. Kh5 Rg3 $19) 75. Bd5 Rd8 (75... Rg6 $2 76. Kh5 $11) 76. h7 Rh8 77. Bg8 e4
78. Kg3 Ke5 79. Kf2 Kd4 80. Ke2 e3 81. Ke1 (81. Bb3 Rxh7 82. Be6 Rh2+ 83. Ke1
Ke4 {etc.}) 81... Kd3 82. Be6 e2 83. Bg4 Ke3 84. Bxe2 Rxh7 85. Kf1 Rf7+ 0-1

[Event "75th Tata Steel"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "GM Caruana, F."]
[Black "GM L'Ami, E."]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2781"]
[BlackElo "2627"]
[Annotator "Benko"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2n1rb2/3k4/1p3pNp/p3pP1P/4K1P1/1PR1B3/P7/8 b - - 0 43"]
[PlyCount "20"]
[EventDate "2013.02.18"]

{# #} 43... Bb4 (43... Bg7 44. Kd5) 44. Rc2 Nd6+ 45. Kd5 Nb5 46. Bxh6 Nc3+ (
46... e4 47. Be3 Nc7+ 48. Rxc7+) 47. Rxc3 $1 (47. Kc4 Rc8+ 48. Kd3 e4+ 49. Kd2
Nxa2+) 47... Bxc3 48. Be3 Bd4 49. Bxd4 (49. Ke4) 49... exd4 50. Kxd4 Kc6 51. h6
Rd8+ 52. Ke4 Rd7 53. g5 1-0

d5+ Nd7 24. Bd4
Rc7 25. Qa8+ 1-0

[Event "SportAccord World Mind Games (Men's Rap"]
[Site "Beijing CHN"]
[Date "2012.12.15"]
[Round "6.3"]
[White "Gata Kamsky"]
[Black "Sergey Karjakin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2762"]
[BlackElo "2775"]
[Annotator "Soltis. Andy"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2012.12.06"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3
O-O 9. Re1 Na5 10. Ba2 c5 11. Nc3 Be6 12. Bg5 Nc6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. Nd5 g6 15.
c3 Bg7 16. h4 Kh8 17. g3 f5 18. Ng5 Bg8 19. exf5 gxf5 20. Qh5 h6 21. Kg2 Ne7
22. Qf3 Ra7 23. Nxe7 Rxe7 24. Bxg8 Rxg8 25. Nh3 Qa8 26. Nf4 Rb7 27. Nd5 Rf8 28.
a4 bxa4 29. Re2 Qe8 30. Nf4 Rb3 31. h5 Kh7 32. Qd5 Rf6 33. Ng6 Qb5 34. Ne7 Qe8
35. Ng6 Rb8 36. f4 Re6 37. Rf1 Qf7 38. g4 fxg4 39. Kg1 Rf6 40. Qe4 Kg8 41. Qxa4
Rf5 42. Qe4 Re8 43. c4 Re6 44. Rff2 Rxh5 45. f5 Rf6 46. Rf1 Rg5 47. Ref2 Qd7
48. Kg2 Rf7 49. f6 Bf8 50. Kg3 Qe6 51. b3 a5 52. Nh4 Qd7 53. Ng6 Qe6 54. Nh4
Qd7 55. Nf5 Kh8 56. Ne3 Rh5 57. Nd5 Rh3+ 58. Kg2 g3 59. Rf5 Rh2+ 60. Kxg3 Rb2
61. Rh1 Qe6 62. Rf3 Rh7 63. Qg6 Rxb3 64. Rh4 Rb1 65. Kh2 Rb2+ 66. Kh1 a4 67.
Rg4 Qf7 68. Qf5 a3 {Diagram [#]} 69. Ne7 a2 (69... Bxe7 70. fxe7 Qxf5 71. e8=Q+
) 70. Ng6+ Qxg6 71. Qxg6 a1=Q+ 72. Rg1 Qxg1+ 73. Kxg1 Rb1+ 74. Kg2 Rb2+ 75. Kh3
1-0

[Event "SportAccord World Mind Games (Men's Rap"]
[Site "Beijing CHN"]
[Date "2012.12.15"]
[Round "7.8"]
[White "Shakhriyar Mamedyarov"]
[Black "Levon Aronian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D94"]
[WhiteElo "2764"]
[BlackElo "2815"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2012.12.06"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 dxc4 7. O-O a6 8. a4
Nc6 9. Bxc4 Bg4 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Na5 12. Ba2 c5 13. dxc5 e6 14. Rd1 Qe7 15.
b4 Nc6 16. Ba3 a5 17. bxa5 Rxa5 18. Rac1 Rfa8 19. Bb3 h5 20. Bc4 g5 21. Bb5 g4
22. hxg4 Nxg4 23. Ne4 Rxa4 24. Bxa4 Rxa4 25. Nd6 Rxa3 26. Rb1 {Diagram [#]} Nd4
27. Qxb7 (27. Qh3 Ne2+ 28. Kf1 Nc3 29. Rxb7 Qxb7 30. Nxb7 Nxd1) 27... Ne2+ (
27... Qh4 28. Qb8+ Kh7 29. Ne4 Ne2+ 30. Kf1 Ra2) 28. Kf1 Ng3+ 29. fxg3 Qf6+ 30.
Kg1 Qf2+ 31. Kh1 Qxg3 32. Qxf7+ Kh7 33. Qxh5+ 1-0

[Event "ABC-246"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Blackburne-NN"]
[Black "Kidderminster 1863"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C44"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2013.03.19"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.19"]

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Bc4 d6 {Diagram [#]} 5. Nxc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Ne5 (
6... Nf6) 7. Nxe5 dxe5 8. Bxf7+ (8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Bxf7) 8... Ke7 (8... Kxf7 9.
Qxd8) 9. Bg5+ Nf6 10. Qh5 (10. Qb3) 10... c6 11. Rd1 Qa5 12. f4 {Diagram [#]} (
12. O-O) 12... Qc5 (12... Bg4) (12... exf4 13. Bxf6+) 13. fxe5 Qxe5 14. O-O h6
(14... Be6 15. Bxe6 Kxe6 16. Qh3+ Ke7 (16... Kf7) 17. Rf5 Qc7 18. e5) (14... g6
15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Qxg6) 15. Be8 Be6 (15... Qe6 16. e5 hxg5 17. exf6+) 16. Rxf6
(16. Bxf6+) (16. Bh4 Qxh5 17. Bxh5 g5) 16... gxf6 (16... Rxe8 17. Rxe6+ Kxe6
18. Qxe8+ Be7 19. Qxe7#) (16... hxg5 17. Rd7+ Bxd7 (17... Kxf6 18. Qg6#) 18.
Qf7+ Kd8 19. Qxd7#) (16... Qxg5 17. Rxe6+ Kxe6 18. Qf7+ Ke5 19. Qc7+ Ke6 20.
Bf7+ Kf6 21. Rf1+ Qf4 22. Rxf4+ Kg5 23. h4#) (16... Qc5+ 17. Kh1) 17. Rd7+ Bxd7
18. Qf7+ Kd6 (18... Kd8 19. Qxd7#) 19. Qxd7+ Kc5 20. Be3+ Kb4 (20... Kc4 21.
b3+ (21. Bf7+ Kb4 22. Qxb7+ Ka5 23. Bb6+) 21... Kxc3 (21... Kb4) 22. Qd2#) 21.
Qxb7+ Ka5 22. b4+ (22. a3 c5 23. Qb5#) 22... Bxb4 23. Bb6+ axb6 24. Qxa8# {
Diagram [#]} 1-0

[Event "ABC-246"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Problem 1"]
[Black "Deflection"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3q3k/6p1/4p2p/8/3b4/1N6/2P1PP2/3QK3 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2013.03.19"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.19"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bxf2+ 0-1

[Event "ABC-246"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Problem 2"]
[Black "Overload"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3qk3/1p3p2/1bp5/8/4P3/2P2P2/4KB2/3Q4 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2013.03.19"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.19"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Qxd1+ 0-1

[Event "ABC-246"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Problem 3"]
[Black "Discovery"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4k3/1p6/2p5/8/Q5bq/4PN2/4KP2/8 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2013.03.19"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.19"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bxf3+ 0-1

[Event "ABC-246"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Problem 4"]
[Black "Deflection"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3r3k/7p/6p1/4n3/4Q2q/4BP2/4K1P1/4bBR1 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2013.03.19"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.19"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Rd2+ 2. Bxd2 Qf2+ 3. Kd1 Qxd2# 0-1

[Event "ABC-246"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Problem 5"]
[Black "Fork"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/1k6/8/2p5/K7/2P5/1qP5/4R3 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "2013.03.19"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.19"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Qxc2+ 0-1

[Event "ABC-246"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.03.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Problem 6"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/2k5/2n1b3/1B6/K3QP2/8/Pq6/R7 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]
[EventDate "2013.03.19"]
[SourceDate "2013.03.19"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bb3+ 2. axb3 Qxa1# 0-1

[Event "US Amateur Team-ch East"]
[Site "Parsippany,NJ"]
[Date "2013.02.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ng, Andrew"]
[Black "Balakrishnan, Praveen"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D42"]
[WhiteElo "2295"]
[BlackElo "2206"]
[Annotator "Lawrence, Al"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2013.02.??"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 {[%emt 0:00:03] Table 1, board 2: #19 Princeton University A vs. #18
Knightmare} c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5
Nxd5 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O Nc6 10. a3 Nf6 11. Re1 b6 12. Bg5 Bb7 13. Bc2 Rc8 14.
Qd3 g6 15. Rad1 Nd5 16. h4 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Na5 18. Bh6 Re8 19. h5 Nc4 (19... Qd5
20. hxg6 hxg6) 20. hxg6 hxg6 {Diagram [#]} 21. Rxe6 Bf6 22. Rxe8+ Qxe8 23. Re1
Qc6 24. Bb3 b5 25. Bf4 Kg7 26. Bxc4 bxc4 (26... Qxc4) 27. Qe3 Rh8 28. Be5 Rh5
29. Qf4 Rf5 30. Qh4 $2 {Diagram [#]} (30. Qg3) 30... Bxe5 $2 (30... Rxe5 $1 {
and black wins.}) 31. dxe5 Rh5 32. Qg3 (32. Qe7) 32... Qc8 33. Nd4 Qh8 34. Kf1
(34. f3) 34... Qh6 35. Ke2 Rg5 (35... Qg5) 36. Qf4 Qh5+ 37. Kd2 Rxg2 38. e6 g5
39. Qe5+ f6 40. Qc7+ Kh8 41. Qb8+ Kh7 42. Qxb7+ Kh8 1-0

[Event "US Amateur Team-ch East"]
[Site "Parsippany,NJ"]
[Date "2013.02.17"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Lee, Michael"]
[Black "McHugh, Edward F"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D41"]
[WhiteElo "2453"]
[BlackElo "2348"]
[Annotator "Lawrence, Al"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2013.02.??"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. c4 {Table 5, board 1, #19 Princeton University A vs. #35 Mayan Team Just
Happy To Be Here} c6 2. e4 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. exd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. Nf3 e6 7.
Bc4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. d4 O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Ne4 Nce7 12. a3 b6 13. Qd3 Bb7 14.
Nfg5 {Diagram [#]} h6 (14... Ng6) 15. Nh7 Nf5 (15... Re8 16. Nhxf6+ Nxf6 17.
Nxf6+ gxf6 18. Bxh6) 16. Nxf8 Kxf8 17. Be3 Rc8 18. Rac1 (18. Nxf6 Nxf6 19. Ba6
Bxa6 20. Qxa6 Qd7 21. Rac1) 18... Ndxe3 19. fxe3 {Diagram [#]} Rxc4 (19... Nxe3
20. Rxe3 (20. Nxf6 Nxg2 21. Nh7+ Kg8 22. Rf1 Nh4 23. d5 b5 24. dxe6 Qb6+ 25.
Rf2 Nf3+ 26. Kf1) 20... Bxd4) 20. Rxc4 Qd5 21. Qc2 Qxe4 {Diagram [#]} 22. Rc8+
Bd8 23. Qxe4 Bxe4 24. Rxd8+ Ke7 25. Rc8 Kd7 26. Rec1 Nxe3 27. R8c7+ Kd6 28.
Rxf7 Nf5 29. Rxa7 Nxd4 30. Kf2 g6 31. Ra6 1-0

[Event "World Amatuer Team"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.02.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ballantyne, Rochelle"]
[Black "Xue, Dyland"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B74"]
[WhiteElo "2078"]
[BlackElo "2185"]
[Annotator "Lawrence, Al"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8.
Be3 Nc6 9. Nb3 Bd7 10. f4 Rc8 11. Qe1 a6 12. a4 Nb4 13. Qd2 a5 14. Bf3 Qc7 15.
Rad1 Be6 16. h3 Rfd8 17. Qf2 Nd7 18. Nd4 Bc4 19. Be2 Bxe2 20. Qxe2 Qc4 21. Qd2
b6 {Diagram [#]} 22. Ncb5 (22. Ndb5) 22... Bxd4 23. Nxd4 Nf6 24. e5 dxe5 25.
fxe5 Ne4 26. Qc1 Nd5 27. b3 Qc3 28. Rd3 (28. Rfe1) 28... Qxd3 29. cxd3 Rxc1 30.
Bxc1 Ng3 31. Rf3 Nb4 32. Bb2 Rxd4 33. Bxd4 (33. Rxg3 Rxd3 34. Rxd3 Nxd3 35. Bd4
) 33... Ne2+ 34. Kf2 Nxd4 35. Re3 Nxb3 36. Ke2 Nd5 37. Rg3 Nc3+ 38. Ke3 Nxa4
39. d4 Nc3 40. Kd3 Nxd4 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.02.16"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kang, Leo"]
[Black "Williams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D11"]
[Annotator "Lawrence, Al"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 Bf5 4. Bg2 e6 5. O-O Bd6 6. c4 c6 7. Nbd2 Nbd7 8. Nh4
Bg6 9. Nxg6 hxg6 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 Nf6 13. Bg2 O-O 14. Bg5 Be7
15. Qd3 Qb6 16. b3 Rad8 17. Rad1 Qc7 18. Qe2 Rfe8 19. Rd3 c5 20. dxc5 Qxc5 21.
Bxf6 Bxf6 22. Bxb7 Bd4 23. Kg2 Re7 24. Bf3 e5 25. Bd5 Kh8 26. Qd2 Rde8 27. h4
Qb6 28. Rh1 Qf6 29. h5 g5 30. Rf3 Qh6 31. g4 Bb6 {Diagram [#]} 32. Rxf7 Rxf7
33. Bxf7 Rf8 34. Bg6 Rxf2+ 35. Qxf2 Bxf2 36. Kxf2 Kg8 {Diagram [#]} 37. Rd1 Kf8
38. Rd7 e4 39. Ke3 a6 40. Kxe4 1-0

[Event "USATE"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.02.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Xue, Robert"]
[Black "Smith, Shawn"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B55"]
[WhiteElo "2124"]
[BlackElo "2062"]
[Annotator "Lawrence, Al"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. f3 e5 6. Nb3 d5 7. Bg5 Be6 8. Bxf6
gxf6 9. exd5 Qxd5 10. Qxd5 Bxd5 11. Nc3 Bb4 12. O-O-O Bxb3 13. cxb3 Bxc3 14.
bxc3 Nc6 15. Bd3 Ke7 16. Bf5 Rad8 17. Rxd8 Nxd8 18. Rd1 Ne6 19. b4 h6 20. Kc2
Rc8 21. Kb3 Rc7 22. a4 Nf4 23. Rd2 Ne6 24. a5 a6 25. h4 Ng7 26. g4 Ne6 27. Bxe6
fxe6 28. c4 f5 29. g5 hxg5 30. hxg5 Rc8 31. b5 Rg8 32. Rg2 e4 33. fxe4 fxe4 34.
g6 Kd6 35. Rg5 e5 36. bxa6 bxa6 37. Kc3 Rg7 38. Kd2 Ke6 (38... Kc5 39. Ke3) 39.
Ke3 Kf6 40. Rg1 Kf5 41. Rg2 (41. c5 Ke6 42. Kxe4 Rg8 43. g7 Kf6 44. c6 Ke6 45.
Rg6+ Kf7 46. Kf5 e4 47. Rf6+ Ke7 48. c7 Kd7 49. Rf8) 41... Rxg6 (41... Rg8) 42.
Rxg6 Kxg6 43. Kxe4 Kf6 44. Kd5 Kf7 45. Kxe5 {Diagram [#]} (45. c5 Ke7 46. Kxe5
Kd7 47. Kd5 Kc7 48. c6 Kc8 49. Kc4 Kd8 50. Kd4 Kc8 51. Kd5 Kc7 52. Kc5 Kd8 53.
Kd6 Kc8 54. c7 Kb7 55. Kd7 Ka7 56. c8=N+ Kb7 57. Nd6+ Kb8 58. Kc6 Ka8 59. Kb6
Kb8 60. Kxa6 Ka8 61. Kb6 Kb8 62. Nb5 Ka8 63. a6 Kb8 64. a7+) 45... Ke7 46. Kd5
Kd7 47. c5 Kc7 48. c6 Kc8 49. Kd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "US Amateur Team-ch East"]
[Site "Parsippany,NJ"]
[Date "2013.02.18"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Osbourn, Joshua D"]
[Black "Mockler, Michael W"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A10"]
[WhiteElo "1944"]
[BlackElo "1892"]
[Annotator "Lawrence, Al"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2013.02.??"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. c4 {Table 19, board 3: #4 Texas Tech Knight Raiders vs. #82 Double
Entendres on the Seventh Are Rank} f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. d3 Nc6
6. e4 d6 7. Nge2 O-O 8. O-O Ne5 9. exf5 gxf5 10. b3 c6 11. d4 Ng6 12. Bg5 Qc7
13. Rc1 Ng4 14. h3 Nh6 15. Qd2 Nf7 16. Be3 e5 17. f4 Bd7 18. Kh2 Rad8 19. Rf2
Bc8 20. Rcf1 a6 21. Rc1 Rfe8 22. Na4 e4 23. d5 c5 24. Nb2 h5 25. b4 Nh6 26.
bxc5 dxc5 27. Na4 b6 28. Rb1 Rd6 29. Qc2 Kh8 30. Bh1 h4 31. Rg2 Rg8 32. Bf2 Qd8
33. Qb3 hxg3+ 34. Bxg3 Bd4 35. Nxd4 cxd4 36. Nxb6 Nh4 37. Rgg1 Nf3+ 38. Bxf3
exf3 39. Nxc8 $2 Ng4+ $1 40. Kh1 Rh6 41. Qxf3 Rxh3+ 42. Kg2 Rxg3+ 43. Qxg3 Ne3+
44. Kf3 Rxg3+ 45. Rxg3 Ng4 {Diagram [#]} 46. Rh3+ Kg8 (46... Kg8 {On the
scoresheet it reads "drawn by exhaustion," but white clearly wins after} 47.
Rb8) (46... Kg7 47. Rb7+ Kf6 (47... Kg6 48. Ne7+) 48. Rhh7) 1/2-1/2

[Event "U.S. Amateur Team West"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.02.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Colin Chow"]
[Black "FM Cameron Wheeler"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C06"]
[WhiteElo "2199"]
[BlackElo "2298"]
[Annotator "Wheeler, Cameron"]
[PlyCount "108"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bd3 c5 7. c3 Nc6 8. O-O
h5 (8... g5) 9. Qe2 g5 10. dxc5 g4 11. Nd4 Ndxe5 12. Nxc6 Nxc6 13. Nb3 Qc7 14.
Bb5 Bd7 15. Be3 O-O-O 16. Rad1 Rhg8 17. c4 (17. Bxc6 Bxc6 18. Nd4) 17... Ne5
18. Kh1 dxc4 19. Bxd7+ Rxd7 20. Bf4 Rxd1 21. Rxd1 cxb3 22. Bxe5 {Diagram [#]}
Qc6 (22... Qxc5 23. Qe1 Rg5 24. Bf4 Rf5 25. Rc1 Rxf4 26. Rxc5+ Bxc5) 23. axb3
h4 24. b4 h3 25. Qf1 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Bxd8 27. Kg1 Qe4 28. Bc3 Qh7 29. Qb5 a6 30.
Qf1 Bc7 31. gxh3 (31. c6 hxg2 32. cxb7+ Kb8 33. Qxg2 Qb1+ 34. Qf1 Bxh2+ 35. Kg2
Qh7) 31... gxh3 32. f3 Qf5 33. Kh1 Bf4 34. Qe2 Bg5 35. Be1 Bf6 36. c6 b5 37.
Qd1 Bd4 38. Bg3 Qd5 39. c7 Bb6 40. Qf1 Qd2 41. Be5 Qf2 42. Qxf2 Bxf2 43. b3 Be3
44. Bd6 f6 45. Be7 Bd4 46. Bd6 e5 47. Be7 f5 48. Bd6 f4 49. Be7 Kxc7 50. Bh4
Kd6 51. Be7+ Kd5 52. Bf6 Bc3 53. Be7 Kd4 54. Bc5+ Kd3 0-1

[Event "U.S. Amateur Team West"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.02.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Jason Zhang"]
[Black "Jeffrey Tao"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B99"]
[WhiteElo "1483"]
[BlackElo "1869"]
[Annotator "De Guzman, Ricardo, IM"]
[PlyCount "51"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qc7 8. Qf3
Nbd7 9. O-O-O b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. Rhe1 Be7 (11... Qb6 12. Nd5 Qxd4 13. Bxf6 gxf6
14. Bxb5) 12. a3 (12. Nd5 exd5 13. Nf5 Kf8 14. exd5 Re8 15. Qg3) 12... Rb8 (
12... Rc8) 13. g4 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 (14... gxf6) 15. Qf2 Ba8 {Diagram [#]} 16.
Bxb5 Qb6 (16... axb5 17. Ndxb5 Qb6 18. Nxd6+ Ke7 19. Qxb6 Nxb6 20. e5 Bh4) 17.
Bxd7+ Kxd7 18. Na4 Qa5 19. Nb3 Qb5 (19... Rxb3 20. cxb3 Rc8+ 21. Kb1) 20. e5
Rhc8 21. Nac5+ Ke8 22. exf6 dxc5 23. fxg7 Ke7 24. f5 Rg8 25. f6+ Ke8 26. Qf5
1-0

[Event "2013 U.S. Amateur Team South"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.02.17"]
[Round "5"]
[White "FM Angel P. Quinones"]
[Black "Mel Goss"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B44"]
[WhiteElo "2407"]
[BlackElo "2238"]
[Annotator "Storch, Larry"]
[PlyCount "90"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3
Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Be3 Nd7 (11... Bb7 12. Qb3 Nd7 13. Rfd1 Nc5 14.
Qc2 Bf6 15. Rac1 Be5 16. Nab1 f5 17. f4 Bxc3 18. Nxc3 fxe4) 12. Rc1 Bb7 13.
Nab1 Rc8 14. a3 a5 15. Nb5 Nc5 16. N1c3 Ne5 17. f3 (17. f4 Ng6 18. Qc2 f5)
17... Na6 18. Na4 Nc5 19. Nac3 Na6 20. b3 Ba8 21. Rf2 Rb8 22. Bf1 Rb7 23. Na4
Qb8 24. f4 Nc6 25. f5 Ne5 26. Rc3 Nc5 27. Nxc5 dxc5 28. Bf4 Bf6 29. Rh3 {
Diagram [#]} g6 30. Qc1 h5 31. Be2 Rd7 32. Qe3 Qd8 33. Rf1 Bc6 34. Rxh5 gxh5
35. Qg3+ Ng4 36. Bxg4 hxg4 37. Qxg4+ Bg7 38. Bc7 (38. Bh6 Qf6 39. fxe6 Qxh6 40.
exd7 Rd8) 38... exf5 39. exf5 Qf6 40. Be5 {Diagram [#]} Qxe5 41. f6 Qe3+ 42.
Kh1 Qh6 43. h3 Qg6 44. fxg7 Qxg7 45. Qf5 Qxg2# 0-1

[Event "Pan American Teams"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.01.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Shankland, Sam"]
[Black "Ortiz Suarez, Isan Reynaldo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "Shankland, Sam"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2013.??.??"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.23"]

{This game would be my debut playing for Team America, and it could not have
gone any better- in fact, I would say that it was my best game in recent
memory. We faced a very tough Cuban squad with an average rating of over 2650
FIDE in the very first round, but we managed to pull off a nice upset win to
start the tournament with a bang.} 1. e4 $1 {Not my normal move, but what is
life without a little experimentation?} c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5.
Nc3 a6 {The beloved Najdorf Variation, one of the main black weapons of my
youth, although I don't play it too much anymore. It definitely felt different
playing from the white side!} 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. h3 $5 {I drew some
inspiration from Kamsky in his 2011 Candidates Match against Gelfand. This
idea has gained quite a following recently.} Nbd7 (8... Be7 {Was played
against me the very next day- pretty unusual to have the exact same variation
2 days in a row!} 9. Qf3 O-O 10. g4 a5 11. a4 Nc6 12. O-O-O Nb4 13. Nc5 Nd7 14.
Nxd7 Qxd7 15. Bb5 Qc7 16. Rd2 Rac8 17. Kb1 Bd7 18. Qe2 Bc6 19. Rhd1 Rfe8 20. f3
h6 21. Qf2 Qd7 22. Qe2 Qc7 23. Qc4 Red8 24. Qb3 Bg5 25. Bxg5 hxg5 26. Bf1 Qe7
27. Nb5 Rd7 28. Nxd6 Rcd8 29. c3 Rxd6 30. Rxd6 Rxd6 31. Rxd6 Qxd6 32. cxb4 axb4
33. Bc4 Qe7 34. Bd5 Bxd5 35. Qxd5 Qc7 36. Ka2 Qc2 37. Qb5 Qd1 38. Qxb4 Qxf3 39.
Qxb7 {1-0 Shankland,S (2595)-Di Berandino,D (2495)/Pan American Teams 2013/ 
[Doe,John]}) 9. g4 Rc8 {The point of black's setup is now clear- he is
depriving the white queen of her best square on f3. However, I'm not sure how
much of an achievement this is because the knight on d7 will often not allow
black to meet Nd5 with Nxd5, and furthermore I think developing the kingside
pieces would be a higher priority than moving the rook to the cfile.} 10. Qd2 (
10. Qf3 $2 Rxc3 $1 11. bxc3 d5 {Would give black exactly what he wants}) 10...
b5 $6 {In my opinion this move is too committal. Black doesn't have much of an
attack to carry out, and the c6 square has been weakened- a key theme in the
English attack} (10... h6 {Perhaps this was a better option}) (10... Be7 {
Could be considered as well}) 11. O-O-O $1 {White is not concerned about b4} (
11. a3 $2 {Played once my my opponent in the same position with the white
pieces- this move loses time and makes a hook on the queenside for black to
attack}) (11. g5 $2 b4 $1) 11... Nb6 {Now black really is threatening b4} (
11... b4 {Interesting, but insufficient} 12. Nd5 {Black's problem is that
white has not yet played g5- otherwise, he could play Nxd5 exd5 Bf5, with a
fine position. As is, he is in big trouble} a5 (12... Nxe4 13. Qxb4) (12...
Bxd5 13. exd5 a5 14. Bb5) 13. Bb5 Nxe4 14. Qd3 {White has a fierce initiative})
12. g5 $1 (12. f4 $2 b4 13. Nd5 Nxe4 14. Qxb4 Nxd5 15. Qxe4 Nxe3 16. Qxe3 Qc7 {
Black should not be worse}) 12... Nfd7 (12... b4 $5 {Was maybe worth a shot}
13. gxf6 (13. Bxb6 Qxb6 (13... bxc3 $2 14. Qe3) 14. Na4 Qc6 15. gxf6 gxf6 $1 {
Would not be too clear}) 13... bxc3 14. bxc3 gxf6 15. Bxa6 {Neither king is
too happy here, but I would prefer white's position}) 13. f4 exf4 {This is a
serious concession because it allows white's problem piece, the b3 knight,
back into happy territory. However, it was hard to suggest anything else
because f5 was threatened} (13... b4 14. Nd5) (13... Nc4 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. f5
$1) 14. Bxf4 $14 Ne5 15. Kb1 $1 {White prepares Nd4} (15. Nd4 $2 {This is too
hasty} Nbc4 16. Qg2 Qa5 $1 {White has some problems to solve here- Nxb2 is a
key threat. With the king on b1, he can immediately release all pressure with
Nd5, but here this is not possible because a2 is hanging.}) 15... Be7 16. Nd4
Nbc4 $6 {Possibly the decisive mistake. Though it looks like a natural move,
it greatly weakens the d5 square and closes the cfile, which frees the white
queen to leave without having to worry about an exchange sacrifice.} (16... O-O
{Was to be preferred, although I still would rather play white here}) 17. Qg2
O-O (17... Qa5 18. Bxc4 $1 (18. Nd5 Bxd5 19. exd5 Nxb2 20. Kxb2 Qc3+ 21. Kb1
Qb4+ 22. Kc1 Qa3+ 23. Kd2 O-O {Black has some counterplay here}) 18... Nxc4 19.
Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Nxb2 21. Kxb2 {this sac does not work now because black is
missing the knight on e5, while white traded a bad bishop on f1}) 18. Nd5 {Now
possible because the black knight left b6} Bxd5 {It was hard to tolerate the
knight on d5, but now the other one shows up on c6} 19. exd5 Qa5 20. Bxc4 $1
Nxc4 (20... Rxc4 21. Bxe5 dxe5 22. Nf5 $1 Bd8 23. d6 {With an overwhelming
position}) 21. Nc6 {At this point it's clear black's position has gone badly
awry.} Qc7 (21... Rxc6 {does not quite work} 22. dxc6 Nxb2 (22... Qb4 23. Bc1
Bxg5 24. c3 $1 (24. Qxg5 Na3+ 25. Ka1 Nxc2+ 26. Kb1 Na3+ $11)) 23. Bd2 $1 (23.
Kxb2 Qb4+ 24. Kc1 Qxf4+ $13) 23... Qa3 (23... b4 24. Kxb2) 24. Bc1 $18) 22.
Rhe1 Bd8 {A sad necessity} (22... Rfe8 23. Qe4 $1 Bf8 24. Qxe8 Rxe8 25. Rxe8 {
And white should win}) 23. Qg3 {Putting pressure on d6. Black can hardly move
any of his pieces} f6 {Makes more weaknesses, but what else? Black is nearly
in zugzwang and b3 was threatened} 24. Re6 fxg5 25. Bxg5 Bxg5 26. Qxg5 {Now
white shifts his attention to the kingside, where he has a decisive attack.
The key threat is Re7} Rce8 (26... Rf7 27. Re7 Rxe7 28. Nxe7+ Kh8 29. Nxc8) (
26... Rfe8 27. Re7) 27. Ne7+ $1 Kh8 28. Rg1 $1 {Mate is coming} Nd2+ (28... Rf7
29. Ng6+ hxg6 30. Rxe8+ Kh7 31. Qh4#) (28... Rg8 29. Ng6+ $1 hxg6 30. Qh4#) 29.
Kc1 g6 30. Nxg6+ hxg6 31. Rxg6 {This game proved to be the decisive one of our
round 1 match against the top seeded Cuba- all the other games were drawn. I
was very happy with myself both for playing one of my best games ever, and for
helping the US Team start strong.} 1-0

[Event "Pan American Team"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2013.01.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Roselli, Bernardo"]
[Black "Akobian, Varuzhan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E36"]
[WhiteElo "2449"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "GM Akobian"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.23"]

{This game was played in round 3 and we needed to win this match vs Uruguay
team with a big score in order to keep our lead.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4
4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 d5 7. Bg5 c5 {This is a very aggressive move I
am trying to take advantage of the fact that I have the lead in development
and white king is still in the middle of the board.} 8. cxd5 {Dubious move
better would of been for white to play} (8. dxc5 d4 9. Qg3 Nbd7 {with idea of
e5 and position is very complicated but black has good compensation for the
sacrificed pawn.}) 8... cxd4 $1 9. Qxd4 Nc6 $1 {Gaining a tempo again and now
white has to move is queen again which means he losses more time and not
developing his minor pieces on the King-side} 10. Qh4 Qa5+ {Idea of this move
is to induce white to play b4 so I can take advantage of some weaknesses in
the future that this move creates.} 11. b4 Qxd5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Rd1 ({If} 13.
Qxf6 Rd8 14. Nf3 e5 15. e3 Qb3 {with a threat of Qc3 check and white king is
in trouble.}) 13... Qe5 14. Qg3+ Qxg3 {Its very important for me not to waste
any time in this position because only way I can get advantage is by playing
energetically and using my lead in development} 15. hxg3 e5 {Controlling
center squares and most importantly opening the diagonal for my bishop.} 16. e3
Bf5 ({This is the best square for the bishop .If} 16... Be6 17. Bd3 {and white
is gaining a tempo since I need to defend the h7 pawn.}) 17. Rh4 {Interesting
move White is trying to activate his rook by transferring to c4 square.} a5 $1
{Diagram [#] Pressuring on b4 and forcing white to play b5 .} 18. b5 ({If
white tries} 18. bxa5 Rxa5 19. a4 Rfa8 20. Bb5 Bc2 {black has a nice advantage}
) 18... Na7 19. a4 Rfd8 20. Rc4 Rxd1+ 21. Kxd1 Nc8 {Knight is going to b6
square.} 22. Rc7 Nb6 23. Bc4 ({If} 23. Rxb7 Nxa4 24. Rc7 Nb6 25. Rc6 Nd5 {
Black is better since white still  hasn't developed his knight and bishop on
the King-side}) 23... Nxa4 $1 {Strong move. I don't have time to defend the f7
pawn since that will allow white to play Bb3 and protect the weak a4 pawn.} 24.
Bxf7+ Kf8 25. Bb3 Nb2+ 26. Kc1 ({If} 26. Ke2 a4 27. Ba2 a3 28. Rf7+ Ke8 29.
Rxf6 Bd3+ 30. Kd2 Bc4 {Black is winning since after the exchange of bishops my
A pawn will queen.}) 26... Nd3+ 27. Kb1 Nxf2+ 28. Bc2 ({If white plays} 28. Ka2
Ng4 {and black has a big advantage due to the weak pawn on e3  and the threat
of a4 pawn advance.]}) 28... Rc8 $1 {Diagram [#] Very strong and important
move after which my position is technically winning because I will be able to
exchange whites active rook.} 29. b6 (29. Rxc8+ Bxc8 30. Bxh7 Nd1 31. e4 Nc3+ {
Black wins the b5 pawn and has winning position.}) 29... Rxc7 30. bxc7 Bc8 $1 {
I must blockade this pawn and win as soon as possible.} 31. Bxh7 Ke7 32. Ne2
Kd6 33. Nc3 Kxc7 34. Nd5+ Kd6 35. Nxf6 b5 {Even though we have equal material
on the board but black is just winning because of two connected passed pawns
on the Queen-side} 36. Kc2 a4 37. g4 Bxg4 38. Bg8 Bf5+ 39. Kc3 Kc5 40. Kd2 b4 {
I was happy to win this game and help US team win this match with 4-0 score.}
0-1

[Event "9th Panamerican Team"]
[Site "Campinas BRA"]
[Date "2013.01.26"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Onischuk, Al"]
[Black "Rodriguez Vila, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A60"]
[WhiteElo "2660"]
[BlackElo "2508"]
[Annotator "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2013.01.24"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2013.01.28"]
[WhiteTeam "USA"]
[BlackTeam "URU"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 Bd6 {This line is called the
snake variation, because of the black bishop that moves like a snake to c7 and
a5. I knew that my opponent plays this line and although I did not expect it
in this game Yuri Shulman showed me some ideas for white just before the game,
so I was quite well prepared.} {I'd like to use the opportunity to thank Yuri,
John Donaldson and Tony Rich for their professional work and great support
during the event.} 6. Bg2 O-O 7. Nc3 Bc7 8. d6 Ba5 9. Nh3 $1 {Diagram [#] This
move order is basicly refutes the snake. It is better than normal Nf3 since
the knight goes to f4 and d5 which is clearly more dangerous for black.} Nc6
10. O-O b6 ({Yuri showed me} 10... Re8 11. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 12. Bxd5 $16) 11. Bg5 $1
{Diagram [#] Now black is objectively lost.} (11. Nd5 {here was not that
strong since the f7 pawn is not as weak as in a previous line.}) 11... Bxc3 12.
bxc3 h6 13. Bh4 {This idea I know from some lines in Ruy Lopez.} g5 {black
cannot tolerate the pin} (13... Re8 14. f4 $5 {and then e4, e5}) 14. Nxg5 {
Diagram [#]} hxg5 15. Bxg5 Kg7 ({in case of} 15... Re8 {I'd play} 16. e4 {with
a winning attack} (16. Bxf6 Qxf6 17. Bxc6 dxc6 18. d7 Bxd7 19. Qxd7 $16)) 16.
e4 Qe8 17. Bxf6+ Kxf6 18. f4 Rg8 19. Qh5 Kg7 20. e5 Kf8 (20... Rh8 21. Qg5+ Kf8
22. f5 $1 Qxe5 23. Rae1 Qxd6 24. f6 Rh7 25. Re8+ $1 {Diagram [#]} Kxe8 26. Qg8+
Qf8 27. Re1+ $18) 21. Rae1 Ba6 22. f5 Qc8 (22... Bxf1 23. Qh6+ Rg7 24. f6 $18)
(22... Qd8 23. Bd5 $18) 23. e6 $1 1-0

[Event "9th Panamerican Team"]
[Site "Campinas BRA"]
[Date "2013.01.27"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Lenderman, A."]
[Black "Quesada Perez, Yu"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2619"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "Lenderman, Aleksandr"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2013.01.24"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.23"]
[WhiteTeam "USA"]
[BlackTeam "CUB"]

{In this game I was playing on board 3 against a very solid Cuban grandmaster
Quesada Yuniesky, around 2600 fide. Being white against him, I tried to of
course create him some problems out of the opening. It was actually not so
easy, as he played very solid openings, has a very good positional
understanding( at least by my standard) and it would be hard to find a line to
beat him. I didn't want to make a dull draw and waste a white color since that
would put more pressure on the other games, especially the games we were black
at. However I didn't want to get into a position where I thought I can get
outplayed. Me and the coach there Yury Shulman, as well as all the other
teammates worked very hard on how to try to best approach this game and
finally we came to a very nice approach. The idea was actually to avoid a
strategical battle, but instead make it a tactical malee, where my opponent
wasn't so familiar with. Also, I didn't mind grabbing a pawn trying to stave
off his initiative, since usually pure positional players aren't as creative
in being able to handle positions with initiative, which makes them a little
bit less dangerous in that respect. So the opening choice we chose in fact fit
all the requirements of it being a long fight, but more important a type of
battle where I would at least not be less comfortable than my opponent.} 1. d4
Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 $5 {That was the idea. If I played one of the
main lines, e3 or qc2 on the nimzo indian, he would know a lot of theory there,
and we could not find a good way to create him problems in this position where
everyone knows everything and his solid classical approach will help him
easily neutralize the game into a boring equal game, or even worse if I try to
do too much, I can get outplayed. If I played nf3 on move 4, then that runs
into the solid b6!? which Quesada played himself and people have played
against me. Moreoever, that position has a positional risk for white if white
doesn't do anything special. So I played a tricky move order starting with g3
to avoid the b6 line, and try to transpose into the main lines like nf3, bg2,
etc... Avoiding the Nimzo Indian and playing nf3 or g3 on move 3 also didn't
appeal to me as there in the Bogo INdian, he also had a very clear idea what
he was doing and it would be very hard to get anything there for me. Same goes
about starting with something other than d4. I would likely just confuse
myself more, and he had lots of experience playing his familiar setups against
all other moves. So I went also with something he had very little experience
in. Also, the good thing was that I never played that move, meaning I would
throw away all his preparation to naught, while also myself being somewhat
familiar with the positions from both colors. The goal was to make sure I knew
the position not worse than my opponent at least, but hopefully to even know
and feel the type of position better.} O-O 5. Bg2 d5 $5 {In the one game I saw
of his, he played c5 instead, and after nf3 he ended up getting a slightly
worse position against a 2450 player, eventually being able to hold a draw. I
was happy to repeat that of course, since white was pressing there and had
little risk. But of course I expected the d5 move, since that's actually the
main reason why 4)g3!? isn't played as often. Black's idea is to simply play
against the bishop, and ambitiously take the pawn on c4 and hold on to it.
However, from there on, Yury's preparation took over, and I was confident
enough that I can create enough problems in that type of positions to at least
maintain equality, but hopefully more in case my opponent didn't have it all
analyzed with a computer till the very end.} 6. Nf3 dxc4 7. a3 $5 {Diagram [#]
Key move of the preparation which puts question to the bishop. Not only is it
a relatively unfamiliar line, but also it's quite interesting and brings rich
play to the game. Also this move gives black some choices, which has a
practical value since now black would be thinking a lot and later on time can
play a very important factor in the game. However, mainly after analyzing that
line with the computer, I realized that all the possible positions that I will
get out of it will likely favor me than him due to my opponent's strengths and
weaknesses. There isn't that much positional game here anymore. It's now
mostly sharp and dynamic.} Be7 {Already my opponent was thinking a lot here.
He also has a choice of playing bxc3+!? with a complicated unclear game, where
white tries to get compesation with his 2 bishops and the center and black
tries to either create counterplay with either shattering the center, or
trying to hold on to the c4 pawn at all costs. Also ba5!? was maybe possible.
Bd6?! probably runs into qa4 or nd2 getting back the pawn under favorable
circumstances.} (7... Bxc3+ $5 8. bxc3 c5 9. O-O $44 {I prefer not to share
any more of my preparation here :)}) (7... Ba5 $5 8. O-O $44) (7... Bd6 $6 8.
Nd2 $14) 8. Ne5 Nc6 $5 {Trying to shift the game into familiar waters, similar
to the line in the catalan with dxc4, where white would play ne5 nc6 Bxc6 bxc6
nxc6 and so on, eventually winning the c4 pawn, but black fights for
counterplay on the light squares taking advantage of the light squared bishop.
However, keeping in mind that my opponent didn't usually allow the catalan to
begin with, and adding to the fact that my opponent isn't Tal, Alekhine, or
Kasparov with the initaitive, I thought that this was a very good practical
choice for me to get this position. ANd indeed as you'll see it paid off.} (
8... c5 $5 {Was definitely an adequate alternative trying to chip away on the
center right away and also leads to a very interesting game, where I also was
happy with my prospects, especially given the type of opponent.}) 9. Bxc6 (9.
Nxc6 bxc6 10. Bxc6 Rb8 11. e3 Rb6 12. Bg2 Qd7 13. O-O Rd8 $11) 9... bxc6 10.
Nxc6 Qd6 $6 {First real inaccuracy by my opponent which I failed to capitalize
on. Qe8 or Qd7 shouldn't been played with the idea of having the d6 square for
the bishop on e7 in case white wants to not take on e7 right away.} (10... Qe8
11. Nxe7+ (11. Qa4 Bd6)) 11. Nxe7+ $6 {And I returned the favor, partially by
playing very fast in the opening due to it all being preparation. However,
despite the fact that it was preparation it would still be more mature and
professional of me to spend at least 30 seconds-1 minute on each move trying
to just see if there is any little difference between my opponent's moves and
my actual preparation. Also, that would give me a better chance of maybe
finding a move that possibly I never considered while doing my preparation. In
general my advice to you is to avoid playing automatic moves almost at all
costs(unless you're either under two minutes for the game or playing blitz).
Very often in my experience I have made the sensible natural automatic move
which seemed to me like the only move only to later realize that I had an out
of the box type solution which was not as natural and much better than my move.
Also it's a move that if I had taken time on, possibly it would occur to me.
Qa4! was stronger since I will still get the c4 pawn back next move(I played
qa4 next move anyway) and black can't take advantage of that due to the fact
that his bishop on e7 get away from the attack of the knight(d6 square isn't
available.} (11. Qa4 $1 Bb7 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. O-O Bd5 14. Bg5 $1 Qd7 (14...
Qe8 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. Qc2 $16) 15. Bxf6 Qxa4 16. Nxa4 gxf6 17. Rac1 $16 {
Structurally black isn't sound and white will have ideas of f3-e4, and
possibly nc5 and eventually the c4 pawn is probably going to be doomed.}) 11...
Qxe7 12. Qa4 {We're back in my preparation which of course would've happened
had black played qe8 or qd7 instead.} c5 13. Qxc4 cxd4 14. Qxd4 e5 15. Qh4 Bb7
16. O-O Qe6 17. e4 h6 18. Be3 {I was still playing pretty quickly here because
all my moves have been pretty natural, and even though I was by now not
completely in my preparation, common sense dictated to me that I have to try
to play f3 to secure the e4 pawn and try to shut down his bishop. That should
follow by g4, qf2, etc.. getting the queen out of a slightly awkward spot, and
just simply try to consolidate with my extra pawn. Of course I need the be3
move for that since otherwise black will have the annoying qb6+ with
counterplay. I also saw that ng4 wasn't dangerous for me.} Ng4 $6 (18... a5 19.
f3 Rfd8 $14 {Would given a bit more counterplay.}) 19. Bc5 Rfd8 {Diagram [#]} (
19... Rfc8 20. Qe7) 20. Rad1 $6 {A natural move which I planned on before I
played be3. I played it quite quickly because I saw that his only adequate
defence would be nf6, and after f3 I seem to be consolidating. However, like
often happens because of playing too quickly(with a lot of time, in fact I was
ahead of almost an hour on the clock by now since I made a lot of moves by
preparation, my moves were easier to play, and my opponent definitely was out
of his comfort zone and did not know the line very well), you often miss a
better continuation, which isn't as natural.} (20. Qe7 $1 {Threatening the
queen trade. And now no matter what I consolidate with an endgame with great
winning chances.} Qxe7 (20... Qc6 $6 21. Rfd1 Re8 22. Qd6 $16) (20... Qc8 $1
21. Rfd1 Re8 22. Qd7 (22. Qd6 $4 Re6 23. Qd7 Qxc5) 22... Qxc5 23. Qxg4 Rad8 24.
Qh5 (24. Rxd8 Rxd8 25. Rd1 Rd4 26. Qe2 Qb6 $14) 24... Qe7 25. Qe2 (25. Rxd8
Rxd8 26. Rd1 Rd4 27. Qe2 Qe6 28. f3 Ba6 29. Qf2 Qd6) 25... Rd4 26. Rd2 Red8 27.
Rad1 Qe6 28. Kg2 f5 29. f3 $14 {That was probably black's best line, Here
white has reasonable winning chances though with his extra pawn and black not
having that much compensation, just slightly more active pieces.}) 21. Bxe7 Rd2
22. b4 $5 (22. Rab1 $1 Ba6 23. Rfd1 Rxf2 $2 (23... Rc2 24. Bc5 Rc8 25. Bxa7 Rc7
26. h3 $16) 24. h3 $18) 22... Rc8 23. Rac1 Rc4 24. h3 Nf6 25. Bxf6 gxf6 26. Nd5
Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Bxd5 28. exd5 Rxd5 29. Rc6 Kg7 30. Ra6 Rd7 31. b5 $16) 20... Nf6
$1 {Despite seeing this reply somehow I underestimated it and thought that I
can easily consolidate if he has to retreat and was looking at some more
forcing moves which weren't as good.} 21. Be3 a5 $1 {Typical move of a
classical player with a good positional foundation. Quesada sees now that he's
worse and that forcing lines don't work. So at least he tries to play
patiently and puts all his pieces into optimal squares, including getting his
pawn out of potential attack and also taking away ideas of b4, bc5, etc...
trying to expand my queenside pawn majority. Now if I decide to ever trade the
pawns, that can open him the a-file. Also there can be drawing tendencies in
the opposite colored bishops due to lack of pawns.} 22. f3 $6 {This natural
move surprisingly allows very annoying counterplay.} (22. Rfe1 $1 Ba6 23. h3 $1
{I should've done it this way, to avoid weakening the g1-a7 diagonal as you'll
see in some lines. Then my plan is still to play the same g4-f3-qf2, but I
consolidate some sensitive spots first.}) 22... Qb3 $6 {A natural move but
black missed a great resource which gives him potential excellent counterplay
and practical chances.} (22... Ba6 $1 23. Rfe1 (23. Rxd8+ $5 Rxd8 24. Rf2 Rd3
25. Bc1 Bc4 26. Kg2 (26. Rd2 $4 Rxd2 27. Bxd2 Qb6+ 28. Kg2 Qxb2 $19) 26... Qd6
$44 {Here black is getting very active, controls the d-file, and it is very
difficult for white to find a good plan.}) 23... Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Rb8 25. Bc1 {
The natural move which I was counting on, but...} (25. g4 $1 {First of all I
still had to find this move.} Rxb2 26. g5 hxg5 $6 (26... Nd7 $1 27. gxh6 Qg6+
28. Qg3 (28. Bg5 gxh6 29. Qxh6 (29. Rxd7 Qxg5+ 30. Qxg5+ hxg5 31. Ra7 Bc4 32.
Rxa5 Rb3 $11) 29... Qxh6 30. Bxh6 Rb3 $1 31. Rxd7 Rxc3 32. Ra7 Be2 $1 33. Rxa5
Bxf3 34. Rxe5 Rxa3 $14 {With excellent drawing chances for black}) 28... Qxg3+
29. hxg3 Rb3 $1 {This resource is what holds black together. WHite's 3rd rank
is very loose.} 30. Nd5 $1 {Only move to try to press.} Nf6 $1 {Trying to
steer the game into opposite colored bishops endgame.} (30... gxh6 $6 31. Kf2
Kh7 32. g4 $1 Rxa3 33. Rh1 Bc4 34. Rxh6+ Kg7 35. Rd6 Bxd5 36. Rxd5 Ra2+ 37. Kg3
Ra3 38. Bd2 Nf8 39. Rxe5 a4 40. Rg5+ {And maybe after all these accurate moves
from white, he still might have good winning chances. I'm sure black also had
his resoruces though.}) 31. Nxf6+ $6 (31. Ne7+ Kh7 32. Kf2 Ng8 $1 {Insisting
on it!} 33. Nxg8 Kxg8 34. Rd5 Rb2+ $14 {And black still maintains good drawing
chances!}) (31. Kf2 Nxd5 32. exd5 Rb2+ 33. Rd2 (33. Bd2 Bb5) (33. Kg1 Be2)
33... Rxd2+ 34. Bxd2 a4 $14 {Here too I would rate black's drawing chances
very high.}) 31... gxf6 $11) 27. Rd8+ Ne8 28. Qxg5 $16 {Somehow black is tied
down and white should be better, but this isn't such a line to see of course.
g4! would be very hard for me to find.}) 25... Rxb2 $3 (25... Qb6+ 26. Kg2 $16
{With g4, qf2, etc... to follow}) (25... Qb3 26. Re1 $16) 26. Bxb2 $6 (26. Nd5
$1 {At this point white's best adviced to fix the draw and not get too greedy.}
Rb3 27. Nxf6+ Qxf6 (27... gxf6 $4 28. Rd8+ Kg7 29. Qxh6#) 28. Qxf6 gxf6 29. Kf2
$11) 26... Qb6+ 27. Kh1 Qxb2 28. Nd5 Nxd5 29. Qd8+ $1 (29. Rxd5 $4 Qb1+ 30. Kg2
Qf1#) (29. exd5 $4 Be2 30. Qg4 Qc3 $1 $19 (30... Bxd1 $4 31. Qc8+ Kh7 32. Qf5+
$11)) 29... Kh7 30. Qxd5 Qe2 $15 {Black maintains a very dangerous initaitve
here. Not recommended for white.}) 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Rf2 $8 Qe6 25. g4 Rd3 26.
Re2 Ba6 27. Re1 Bc4 (27... Qb3 28. Qf2 Ne8 29. Bc5 Nc7 30. Re3 Ne6 31. Rxd3
Bxd3 32. Be3 Bc2 $14 {Was a bit more accurate. Black should've improved his
pieces which didn't do very much, and that is the knight on f6. Then he still
gets some compensation. But he was a bit low on time.}) 28. Qf2 Bb3 29. Re2 Qd7
30. Rd2 Bc4 31. Qe2 Rxd2 32. Qxd2 Qc8 33. h3 $16 Be6 34. Kf2 Qb7 35. Na4 $6 {
At this time with my opponent being low on time, I played too hastily and
thought I was already winning here, and played this move a little bit too
quickly without exploring deeply my other options.} (35. Qd8+ $1 Kh7 36. Qb6 $1
Qa8 37. Qc7 $1 Nd7 38. Ba7 $3 $18 {Diagram [#] Was a very nice winning idea to
restrict black's activity and win a pawn by force in a nice geometric way. Not
something you'll find if you play too quickly.}) (35. Bc5 $16) 35... Nd7 $1 {
I definitely underestimated the strength of this move. I thought black will
continue to try to defend passively, and then I'd get my knight to c5 and
restrict him even more and get all I wanted. But my experienced opponent
wasn't fooled and knew that at this point his only hope is either counterplay
or fortress.} 36. Qxa5 Qb3 37. Qb4 Qd1 (37... Qc2+ 38. Kg3 Bc4 39. Bf2 Bf1 40.
Qe1) 38. Nc5 (38. Nc3 $2 {The natural positional move fails tactically very
nicely. I didn't even see it all.} Qh1 39. Kg3 h5 40. Qe7 $8 Nf8 $1 $132 41.
Qh4 Ng6 42. Qxh5 Bc4 $1 $19 {Surprisingly I am simply close to getting mated
here despite by three pawns.} (42... Nf4 43. Bxf4 Qg1+ (43... Qe1+ 44. Kg2 exf4
$11) 44. Kh4 exf4 45. Qb5 Qg3+ 46. Kg5 Qxf3 $40)) 38... Qc2+ 39. Kg3 Qe2 40.
Nxd7 Bxd7 $1 {Not falling for a trap of} (40... Qxe3 $6 41. Qb8+ Kh7 42. Nf8+
Kg8 43. Nxe6+ Kh7 44. Nf8+ Kg8 45. Nd7+ Kh7 46. Qb6 Qf4+ 47. Kg2 Qd2+ 48. Qf2
Qxd7 49. b4 $18) 41. Bf2 $6 (41. Qd2 $1 Qxd2 (41... Qb5 42. Qd5 $1 $18) 42.
Bxd2 {Due to a lack of space I'm not going to do the analysis of this whole
endgame. I'm still not 100% sure if it's winning or not. But certainly it
would be a better practical chance for me. With a bad exposed king, it's
almost always a good idea to get rid of the queens, especially in opposite
colored bishops. Unfortunately I learned the lesson the hard way.}) 41... f6 {
For some reason I missed this simple defensive move despite spending some time
here.} 42. Qb6 (42. a4 h5 (42... Qf1 43. Qb7 Bxa4 44. Qa8+) 43. Kg2 {Was a
better practical try though with perfect defence probably black should hold
now. Don't be fooled by the +2 evaluation of your engine. Computers often
underestimate fortresses.} (43. Qb7 h4+ 44. Kg2 Be6 45. Qc6 Kf7)) 42... Kh7 43.
b3 h5 44. Qe3 (44. a4 $5) 44... Qd1 45. Kh2 g5 $1 46. a4 h4 {Diagram [#] Now I
simply cannot win. My king is not a factor and my pawns are being held up by
the queen-bishop battery. I can't use my opposite colored bishop for help.
It's simply a dead draw now. I underestimated such a fortress.} 47. Be1 Kg6 48.
a5 Bb5 49. Qf2 Qd3 50. b4 Ba6 51. Bd2 Bb5 52. Be3 Kf7 53. Bc5 Kg6 54. Kg2 Ba6
55. Qe1 Bb5 56. Bf2 Ba6 57. Qc1 Bc4 58. Qe1 {The moral of the story is: 1)
Avoid automatic moves and in general try to spend more time to find deeper
unconventional ideas for both sides. I have to become a deeper player if I
want to become a stronger player. 2) When opponent has a potential initiative
try to trade queens, and be aware of fortress ideas in opposite colored bishop
endgame. Ultimately this was a bit of a dissapointment. However, the teammates
picked me up. Boards 2 and 4 drew comfortably with black against very
respectable opponents. Our board 1 never was in real danger of losing. I
ultimately achieved my goal with my preparation. I ended up pressing whole
game without ever a serious risk of being worse. Even though I ultimately did
not win, this preparation and the fact that black was close to losing here put
a lot some pressure on the other Cuban players to create something and took
some pressure off our team. Ultimately we only tied 2-2, but given the fact
that we were 3/3 , already having beaten Cuba in round 1, and Cuba also lost
another match to Brazil, this draw all but clinched the first place for us.
And we ended up winning in the end getting into the World Team Championships.
Thanks to the sponsors for making this event possible, to John Donaldson, our
captain, the coach, Yury Shulman, and all my teammates for all creating a
wonderful atmosphere and wonderful team chemistry which took a lot of pressure
off me and let me play at my full strength.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "FIDE Women's World Teams"]
[Site "Astana KAZ"]
[Date "2013.03.11"]
[Round "8.2"]
[White "Krush, I."]
[Black "Ushenina, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2448"]
[BlackElo "2477"]
[Annotator "Irina Krush"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2013.03.03"]

1. Nf3 $5 {Could my opponent have guessed this? I already started with 1.Nf3 a
couple of times in the tournament, but I also tried 1.d4 and 1.c4.    Here's a
funny moment: in round 2, we faced China, and I was White against Huang Qian,
to whom I lost in the 2012 Women's World Championship Knockout. I played 1.d4,
and my opponent sank into thought for 5 minutes! I just thought it was
hilarious how my playing 1.d4, which I've played my entire life, could
actually surprise someone now. It's nice when even your first move is
unpredictable!} (1. d4) (1. c4) 1... d5 2. g3 {The Reti Opening. Some time ago
I held such half-moves (Nf3, g3) in contempt; I thought they were the
territory of those who were too lazy to study the main lines. These days it's
how people play for a win. You avoid opening theory- though there is theory
here too- and switch the battle to the middlegame.} c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 {My opponent
shows she is not afraid of being caught out in the same setup she already used
in this tournament. It was an interesting decision. She could not have
expected this line from me, and knew I had seen her earlier game, but still
ventured into it. It's such a solid system though that White is unlikely to
have any killer surprises.} 4. d3 Nd7 5. h3 Bh5 6. Nbd2 e6 7. O-O Bd6 {It's
knights before bishops, isn't it? But the reason Anna didn't play 7...Nf6 is
because she has a different plan for that knight. The setup she uses has
become popular recently, and I hadn't studied it. During the game, I wasn't
very pleased at my handling of the opening, and had the feeling the only way
to exploit the knight being on e7 instead of f6 is to use the e4 square. There
was a nice game from the White side, Ju Wenjun-Stefanova 2012 where White
played 8.e4, then d4, then c4. That seems like a more promising treatment than
the one I chose.} (7... Ngf6) 8. b3 Ne7 9. Bb2 O-O 10. Qe1 {My coach suggested
10.c4!?    And what is the point of this strange looking 10.Qe1? Well, this is
actually pretty standard, getting out of the pin so that one day you can play
Nh4, but I didn't want to play 10.e4 immediately because I was afraid of 10...
Ne5. I thought it was advantageous for Black to trade off a pair of knights.
My coach didn't share my fears and we looked at the line 10.e4 Ne5 11.g4 Nxf3
12.Nxf3 Bg6 13.e5.} (10. c4) (10. e4 Ne5 11. g4 Nxf3+ 12. Nxf3 Bg6 13. e5)
10... e5 {Very logical, and exactly what I was afraid of. This is why my pawn
needs to be on d4!} 11. e4 Re8 12. Nh4 {Diagram [#] My only real plan here is
f4, even if it's not that fearsome. If I was Black, I would've played 12...Qc7,
preventing it.} f6 {There is definitely nothing wrong with this solid move
though, and my coach said maybe it's even better- provoking me into playing f4.
} (12... Qc7) 13. f4 Qc7 (13... exf4 14. gxf4 {This would have been a very
different way of playing the position. Ukraine's coach, Mikhail Brodsky,
strongly advocated it after the game, saying that White has no attack. Still,
White's pieces come to life  after this trade, and the central pawns are
strong. I think this is easier for White to play than against what Anna did in
the game.}) 14. g4 Bf7 15. f5 {Diagram [#] A new stage of the game has begun.
I've grabbed some space on the kingside, and have a clear strategy: pushing g5
at some point, but I wasn't sure I was doing too well. I wouldn't have been
surprised to hear I was worse. Indeed, the computer prefers Black. However,
how should Black proceed here?} h6 {I was happy to see this move, as it gives
me a chance to prevent what I thought was Black's most dangerous idea.} (15...
Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Bd4 $1 {looked strong to me, forcing c3, as clearly White can't
trade bishops.} 17. c3 Bb6 {now the d3 square has been weakened, and Black's
plan is ...Nc5 and Ra-d8, and this constant threat of occupation of d3 will
really tie White's hands in regards to the kingside.}) 16. Nhf3 Bc5+ 17. Kh1 {
Now at least there is no ...Bd4.} Qb6 $5 {A move I hadn't anticipated. Black
prepares to use the e3 square with his bishop, and the bishop will be
incredibly powerful there. After a long think, I couldn't see a way to stop
her plan, so continued with} 18. h4 Be3 19. g5 Bh5 20. gxf6 gxf6 {Diagram [#]
I felt my position had become more promising after having carried out the g5
advance. However, that Be3 is still a problem, and now my whole strategy
centered around how to get rid of him...I spent a lot of time here, and while
we were about even on the clock before, after this move I had a considerable
time disadvantage.} 21. Ng1 (21. Nh2 {was another move I considered, with the
idea of trading my "bad" bishop after Bf3. But it didn't do anything to remove
the Be3.}) (21. Bc1 $5 {was really tempting, threatening the discovered attack
idea Nc4. But I was dissuaded by} Bf4 22. Ng1 {(going after the bishop with
Nh3)} Qe3 {Black forces a queen trade.} 23. Nh3 Qxe1 24. Rxe1 {and either ...
Bg3 or even ...Bxd2 looked ok for Black. I thought Black could afford to give
up the dark squared bishop and be fine in the endgame- my knight on h3 is not
very inspiring. But apparently ...Bg3 is too dangerous for Black; the bishop
gets trapped:} Bg3 (24... Bxd2 25. Bxd2 Kh7) 25. Rg1 Kh7 26. Bf3 Bxf3+ 27. Nxf3
Rg8 28. Be3 {and Black is going to have to devote a lot of resources not to
lose that bishop.}) 21... Kh7 22. Bc1 Bd4 {This is necessary, as Nc4 was a
huge threat.} 23. Rb1 dxe4 $5 {A surprising decision. My first impression was
that it was dubious, giving me a very strong square for my knight on e4. But
then I realized that if I capture with the knight, Black also frees the Ne7,
and gets a good square on d5, from where it controls e3 and f4. So I decided
it wasn't worth it to allow the activation of her knight, but actually- my
first impression was right. I should not have missed the opportunity to get a
knight to e4!} 24. dxe4 {Diagram [#] Perhaps my pawn recapture was
disappointing for Anna, because now she makes a mistake with that same knight
she was hoping to activate. Not seeing any future for him on e7, and knowing
that the h6 pawn is a weakness that could use protection (for example, the
natural ...Rg8 looks like it doesn't work because of Nc4 and Qd2 and h6 is
unprotectable, though Black would still have ...Qd8 with ...Qf8), she
proactively puts him into a defensive, but very passive position. During the
game, I was not sure what she should have played, but I felt that ...Ng8 was a
serious error. Never make your pieces passive before you have to! This was the
turning point of the game.} (24. Nxe4 $1 Nd5 25. Bf3 $1 {the strategy of
trading your poor pieces} Bxf3+ 26. Nxf3 Be3 27. c4 $1 Bxc1 28. Qxc1 $1 Nf4 29.
d4 $1 {With some very precise moves, White achieves a superior position. But
of course I didn't see all this, and in case I played less precisely, my
evaluation was more or less correct, that Black gets counterplay with the
knight activation.}) 24... Ng8 (24... Qa5 $1 {is a strong move that stops Nc4,
and creates ideas of ...Qc3 as well as ...Qxa2. It would be a lot harder for
White to start their consolidation after this move.}) 25. Ne2 {This last part
of the game I had just a few minutes left, so it was mainly my hand playing,
cause there certainly wasn't time for any deep thinking. It was a bit
surprising for me that I managed to create such harmony among my pieces with
my hand making the decisions. Ironically, my time pressure helped me win,
because Anna clearly started to play against my clock. Black's position is
getting precarious, but instead of using her remaining time (she had about
fourteen minutes left) to try to create maximum resistance, she played quickly,
hoping for some time induced errors from me.} Bc5 26. Nc4 Qc7 27. b4 Bf8 {
Black was fine just a few moves ago, but suddenly all the pieces have been
sent back.} 28. a3 {A careful little move. You don't want to accidentally give
away the a2 pawn (after ...Bf7).} Bf7 29. Ne3 a5 30. Rg1 {By this point, I had
noted a plan, based on the idea of piece improvement...} axb4 31. axb4 Re7 {
Diagram [#] What is Black's best piece and what is White's worst? Which
squares can White weaken around the king?} 32. Bf3 $1 Be8 33. Ng3 Rg7 34. Bh5 {
This is everything I could have dreamed about since Black's mistake exactly
ten moves ago. White will dominate on the light squares.} Qd8 {I have two ways
to breakthrough: a timely Bg6+ (sacrificing a negligible pawn for the sake of
the f5 square) or the prosaic buildup I chose in the game. (Bg6+ was
definitely the stronger option; I should have been braver and went for that,
because in the game my opponent could have put up a better defense.)} 35. Bd2
Qe7 36. Qe2 b5 37. Rg2 (37. Bg6+ $1 Bxg6 (37... Kh8 38. Nh5 $18) 38. fxg6+ Rxg6
39. Ngf5 Rxg1+ 40. Rxg1 Qf7 41. c4 bxc4 42. Nxc4) 37... Nb6 ({Black's last
chance was} 37... Bxh5 38. Nxh5 Rxg2 39. Qxg2 Qf7 {with Ne7 to follow, and
White cannot make further progress on the kingside. I was very happy Black
bypassed this.}) 38. Rbg1 Ra7 39. Bxe8 Qxe8 40. Nh5 Rxg2 41. Qxg2 {Diagram [#]
Why did Black resign, instead of trying 41...Qf7? I'll leave you with that
question :)    This game truly gave me a rush of happiness. Going into it,
Ushenina had a score of 6.5/7 and a performance of over 2700. So I had managed
to beat the World Champion when she was in top form, in the stage of the game
where I'm usually weakest (time trouble).} Qf7 1-0

[Event "RCCorrespondence Champ 2012"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Kinion, Paul"]
[Black "Schimke, Tim"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "1457"]
[BlackElo "1570"]
[Annotator "Alburt, Lev"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2013.02.06"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 {Diagram [#]} Nbd7 (
6... e6) 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8. Ne5 a5 9. Bg5 {Diagram [#]} g6 10. e3 Bg7 11. Bd3 Be6
12. Be2 Nfd5 13. Nd3 O-O {Diagram [#]} 14. Nc5 Bc8 15. O-O Nd7 {Diagram [#]}
16. N3e4 (16. Nxd5 cxd5 {Diagram [#]} 17. Qc2) 16... Nxc5 17. Nxc5 {Diagram [#]
} h6 18. Bh4 b6 19. Ne4 Bf5 {Diagram [#]} (19... Be6) 20. Nd2 Nb4 21. Rc1 Rc8 (
21... c5) (21... Ra7) 22. Bg4 Bxg4 (22... Kh7) 23. Qxg4 Re8 24. Nc4 h5 25. Qe2
{Diagram [#]} (25. Bg3 -- 26. Rfd1 -- 27. e4) 25... f6 26. f4 (26. Bg3) 26...
e6 27. Ne5 g5 {Diagram [#]} (27... Kh7) 28. Qxh5 (28. fxg5 fxe5 29. Qxh5) 28...
gxh4 29. Qf7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Magyar Sakkelet"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1975.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Benko, P."]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Benko"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r7/p7/kP2B3/2K5/8/1P6/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "25"]
[EventDate "2013.02.18"]

{# #} 1. Bc4+ (1. b7 $2 Kxb7 $1 2. Bd5+ Kb8 3. Be4 a5 4. Bxa8 a4 $1 $11) 1...
Ka5 2. b7 Rf8 3. Bd3 Rg8 4. b4+ Ka4 5. Bc2+ Ka3 6. b5 Rf8 7. Bd1 Rg8 8. Bg4 Rb8
9. Kc6 Kb4 10. Be2 Re8 11. Kd7 Rf8 12. Kc7 Rf7+ 13. Kb8 1-0

[Event "Magyar Sakkelet"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Benko, P."]
[Black "after Gorgiev, T."]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Benko"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3b3k/4n3/8/5pB1/6R1/8/2K5/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[EventDate "2013.02.18"]

{# #} 1. Bf6+ (1. Ra4 $2 Kg7 2. Ra8 (2. Rd4 Nc6 3. Rd7+ Kf8 4. Bxd8 Ke8 $11)
2... Kg6 3. Bh4 Kh5 4. Bf6 Kg6 5. Be5 Bb6 6. Ra6 Nd5 $1 $11) 1... Kh7 2. Rg7+
Kh6 3. Rf7 Kg6 (3... Nc6 $2 4. Bxd8 Nxd8 5. Rd7 Ne6 6. Rd6 $18) 4. Rf8 f4 5.
Kc1 $3 (5. Kd1 $2 f3 $11) 5... f3 6. Kd1 f2 7. Ke2 Nc6 $5 8. Bxd8 Kg7 9. Re8
Kf7 10. Rh8 Kg7 11. Bf6+ $1 Kxf6 12. Rh6+ 1-0

[Event "Women's World Championship"]
[Site "Nalchik RUS"]
[Date "2008.09.14"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Yifan Hou"]
[Black "Alexandra Kosteniuk"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C90"]
[WhiteElo "2557"]
[BlackElo "2510"]
[Annotator "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2008.09.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a3
d6 9. c3 Bg4 10. d3 Na5 11. Bc2 c5 12. h3 Bd7 13. d4 Qc7 14. d5 c4 15. Nbd2 Nb7
16. Nf1 Nc5 17. g4 h5 18. N3h2 hxg4 19. hxg4 Qc8 20. f3 Nh7 21. Ng3 Bg5 22. Nf5
Qd8 23. Kg2 g6 24. Ng3 Kg7 25. Rh1 Rh8 26. Nhf1 Qf6 27. Be3 Bxe3 28. Nxe3 Ng5
29. Qe2 Rag8 30. Raf1 Qf4 31. Rxh8 Rxh8 32. Rh1 Rxh1 33. Nxh1 {Diagram [#]} Nd3
34. Bxd3 (34. Ng3 Nxf3 35. Bxd3 (35. Qxf3 Ne1+) 35... Nh4+ 36. Kh3 cxd3 37.
Qxd3 Nf3) 34... cxd3 35. Qf2 d2 36. Ng3 Nxf3 37. Qxf3 Bxg4 38. Qf2 d1=Q 39.
Nxd1 Bxd1 40. Qe1 Bf3+ 41. Kg1 f5 42. exf5 gxf5 43. Qf2 Kg6 44. b3 e4 45. c4
bxc4 46. bxc4 Qg5 47. c5 f4 48. cxd6 fxg3 0-1

