[Event "US Eastern Team Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.02.14"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Li, Ethan"]
[Black "Rubenchik, Rodion"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2381"]
[BlackElo "2343"]
[Annotator "Li,Ethan"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Be4 7. f3 Bg6 8. Qb3
Qc7 9. Bd2 Nbd7 (9... Be7 {forcing Nxg6 is the line} 10. Nxg6 hxg6 11. cxd5
cxd5 12. O-O-O {is complex}) 10. cxd5 exd5 11. O-O-O Be7 12. Nxg6 hxg6 {I had
calculated an exchange sacrifice going into this line. I am convinced I have
compensation} 13. e4 $5 dxe4 14. fxe4 {Diagram [#]} O-O (14... Ng4 {was the
critical test} 15. Be2 Nf2 16. Rdf1 Nxh1 17. Qxf7+ Kd8 18. Rxh1 $13 {Black's
weak pawns, his weak king, and misplaced pieces in general give me strong play}
) 15. e5 Nd5 16. Nxd5 cxd5+ 17. Kb1 Nb6 18. h4 (18. Rc1 {This is not effective.
Black gains back the tempo after bringing his rook to c8. Also, I am helping
his queen go to a better square (d7)} Qd7 19. h4 Rac8) 18... Nc4 19. Bxc4 (19.
Bc1 a5 20. h5 g5 21. h6 g6 {I did not see anything concrete for my attack, and
meanwhile his pawns are coming very quickly} 22. e6 fxe6) 19... Qxc4 (19...
dxc4 20. Qh3 {[%emt 0:00:19] Black has to trade queens to relieve the pressure,
and he has wasted time by not trading queens on move}) 20. Qxc4 dxc4 21. d5 Bc5
22. Bf4 {Here I thought I had a stronger position, but it would be difficult
to prove} Rfe8 23. d6 Rad8 24. Rd5 Bb6 (24... Bf2 {tying down my rook to
defending the h pawn} 25. Rc1 $5 Bxh4 26. Rxc4 {This looks strong}) 25. Rc1 Rd7
26. Rxc4 f6 27. a4 $6 {I was trying to provoke ...a6 or ...a5 to prepare my e6
tactic. However, I misjudged which line was best for Black. This seems to
actually weaken my position in one of the lines, as the a4 pawn becomes a
target} (27. e6 {here is too early} Rxe6 28. Rc7 Rd8 (28... Bxc7 29. dxc7 Re1+
30. Kc2 Rxd5 31. c8=Q+ Kh7 32. Qxb7 Re2+ 33. Kb3) 29. Rxb7 {I didn't see much
here, but looking now I think I have strong pressure}) 27... a6 {Diagram [#]}
28. e6 $6 {perhaps I should have just played the position up a pawn} (28. a5 {
this intermediate move does not seem to do much} Bd8 29. e6 Rxe6 30. Rc7 Bxc7
31. dxc7 Re1+ 32. Ka2 Rxd5 33. c8=Q+ Kh7 34. Qxb7 $2 Rxa5+ 35. Kb3 Rb5+) 28...
Rxe6 29. Rc7 $1 Bxc7 30. dxc7 Re1+ 31. Ka2 Rxd5 32. c8=Q+ Kh7 {Here I thought
for a long time. In my calculations I assumed that being up a piece would make
this position easy to win. However, Black's king is very well defended, making
it difficult for me to make progress} 33. Qxb7 Rd4 34. g3 Rxa4+ 35. Kb3 Raa1 (
35... Ree4 {I tried to look at some lines where I could use the positioning of
Black's rooks to tie them down} 36. Bd2 a5 37. Bc3 Rg4 38. Qd7 {for example,
and now Qxa4 and Bxf6 are threatened}) 36. Qf3 {I definitely need to execute
h5 to get any chance of play against his king} a5 37. Bd2 a4+ 38. Kc2 Rf1 39.
Qe4 Rf5 40. g4 Rc5+ 41. Bc3 a3 42. h5 $2 {premature} (42. b4 $1 {my opponent
pointed this out to me after the game. It is very strong. By keeping the
queenside pawns on the board, I erase any chances for him to build a fortress}
Rc8 43. h5 {and Black is just lost}) 42... axb2 (42... Rg5 43. Bxf6 gxf6 44.
Qe7+ Kh6 45. Qf8+ Kh7 46. h6) 43. hxg6+ Kh6 44. Kxb2 {Diagram [#]} Rxc3 $6 (
44... Rd1 45. Bd4 {might have been a better way to set up the fortress} Rxd4
46. Qxd4 Rb5+ 47. Kc2 Kxg6 {I do not see how to make progress here}) 45. Qf4+ {
at the time I thought this was clever, but now I am not sure} ({Stockfish 7
likes} 45. Qd5 $1 {-AL} Rh3 46. Kxa1 Kxg6 47. Qf5+ Kf7 48. g5) 45... Kxg6 46.
Qf5+ Kf7 47. Kxc3 g5 48. Qd7+ $2 {I was trying to throw in some checks just
for the psychological aspect, but this is just a blunder. I cannot let his
king get to g7} (48. Qh7+ Kf8 49. Kb4) (48. Qd5+ Kg7 49. Qe6 Rg1 50. Kb4 Rc1
51. Qd7+ Kg6 52. Qe8+ Kg7 53. Qe6 Rc7 54. Kb5 Ra7 55. Qd6 Kf7 56. Qd3 Kg7 57.
Qe4 Rc7 58. Kb6 Rc1 59. Qe7+ Kg6 60. Qe6 Kg7 61. Qe2 Kf7 62. Qe3 Ra1 63. Kc6
Ra6+ 64. Kc7 Ra1 65. Qd3 Kg7 66. Qe2 Ra5 67. Qe7+ Kg8 68. Kb6 Ra1 69. Qxf6 Rb1+
70. Kc7 Rc1+ 71. Kd6 Rd1+) 48... Kg6 49. Qf5+ {Diagram [#]} Kf7 $2 (49... Kg7 {
I think this draws}) 50. Qh7+ Kf8 51. Kd4 {I should have paid more attention
to Kb4 also, but I am not sure how good it is} (51. Kb4 Rc1 {maybe he can cut
me off here. I don't think I have any checks to win the rook}) 51... Ra5 52.
Qc7 Re5 53. Qh7 Ra5 54. Kc4 Re5 55. Kb4 {I like this combination very much. I
forced his rook to d5 so that I could use it to draw his king out} (55. Qg6 Ke7
56. Qg7+ Ke6 57. Qf8 Kd7) 55... Rd5 56. Qg6 Ke7 57. Qg7+ Ke6 58. Qg8+ {and now
...Ke7 is impossible since Black must guard his rook} Ke5 59. Qe8+ (59. Qb8+
Ke4 60. Qe8+ (60. Qb7 Kd4)) 59... Kf4 60. Qe6 Re5 $2 {just loses the pawn} (
60... Rd4+ {was more resilient, but my opponent and I found this combination
after the game} 61. Kc3 Re4 62. Qf5+ Ke3 63. Qxf6 Rxg4 64. Qe5+ Kf3 65. Kd3 {
Black's problem is that he can never execute something like ...Rf4 since he
always must guard his g pawn} Rg3 66. Qf5+ Kg2+ 67. Ke2 g4 68. Qh5 Kg1 69. Qh4
Rg2+ 70. Ke1 g3 71. Qh3 {and I win the pawn}) 61. Qxf6+ Ke4 {Diagram [#]} 1-0

[Event "Wijk aan Zee Tata A"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.01.27"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Wei Yi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C83"]
[WhiteElo "2787"]
[BlackElo "2706"]
[Annotator "Rogers, Ian"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2016.01.??"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "NED"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
Be6 9. c3 Be7 {[#]} 10. Bc2 $5 (10. Nbd2 Nc5 11. Bc2 d4) 10... Bg4 {"The point
of 10.Bc2 was that after} (10... O-O 11. Nbd2 {I get a line that he doesn't
want, avoiding the 10.Nbd2 Nc5 11.Bc2 d4 lines, which I assumed that he wanted
to play" explained Caruana.} Nc5) 11. h3 Bh5 {"A good move. On} (11... Bxf3 {
I would take back with the g pawn," said Caruana, "and after} 12. gxf3 Nc5 13.
f4 Qd7 14. Qf3 {I will follow with 15.Rd1 and then at some point b4 to begin
attacking the d pawn [via Bb3].".}) 12. g4 $5 {Wei spent 42 minutes on his
previous move and Caruana explained, "He was probably calculating} (12. Bb3
Nxe5 {which is critical. I can try} 13. Qxd5 ({If} 13. Bxd5 Nxf3+ 14. gxf3 Nf6
{and he will have good compensation for the exchange.}) {but after} 13... Nxf3+
14. gxf3 Nf6 15. Qc6+ Kf8 16. Rd1 Bd6 17. Bf4 {I felt that he could probably
simplify to a decent ending."}) 12... Bg6 {[#]} 13. Nd4 $1 {"This is a new
position and 13.Nd4 is completely new," explained Caruana. "} (13. Bb3 {[which
had previously been played with success by Fischer IR] runs into} Nc5 $1 14.
Bxd5 Qd7 {."}) 13... Qd7 {"Very logical. He can also try} (13... Nxd4 14. cxd4
{when he has a lot of options -} h5 {,} (14... c5 {or}) (14... O-O {, said
Carauana. "I looked at this position a couple of weeks ago."})) 14. f4 Nxd4 15.
cxd4 f5 16. Be3 {"I also considered} (16. exf6 Bxf6 17. f5 Bf7 {but after he
castles the knight on e4 is very hard to get rid of," explained Caruana.})
16... O-O {By now Wei was an hour behind on the clock and it was clear that
Caruana was still in his preparation, having played almost instantly until 16.
Be3.} 17. Nc3 c6 $2 {[#]  "On} (17... Nxc3 18. bxc3 Rac8 {I was intending} (
18... c6) 19. a4 c5 20. axb5 axb5 21. Ra6 {when I don't think that Black has
fully equalised," said Caruana. "However after 18...c6 in this line, Black
would be very solid."}) 18. Bxe4 $1 dxe4 19. d5 $1 {"I am not sure what he
missed," admitted Caruana. "Perhaps he wanted to avoid being slightly worse in
the previous variation but now Black is close to lost."} b4 {"} (19... cxd5 20.
Qxd5+ Qxd5 21. Nxd5 Bd8 22. Rfd1 {is a disaster for Black," said Caruana.
"White has domination and I don't think it would give him many chances to
survive."}) 20. dxc6 Qxd1 21. Nxd1 Rfd8 {"Black's problem is that he just
can't get rid of the c pawn, e.g.} (21... Rac8 22. Rc1 Be8 23. c7 {, later
supported by Bb6," explained Caruana.}) ({"I was expecting} 21... h5 {but then}
22. Rc1 $5 hxg4 23. hxg4 fxg4 24. Bc5 $1 {followed by 25.Ne3 looks very bad
for Black."}) 22. Rc1 Rd3 23. Bc5 $5 {"My goal is to trade bishops, put a rook
on e1 and a knight on e3, which should be winning," indicated Carauna.} Bd8 {
"After} (23... Bxc5+ 24. Rxc5 Rxh3 {I have} 25. Nf2 Rg3+ 26. Kh2 Rf3 27. c7 Rc8
28. Rd1 $1 Rxf2+ 29. Kg1 {and the d pawn decides," said Caruana.}) 24. e6 Rc8 {
"If} (24... fxg4 25. hxg4 Rg3+ 26. Kh2 Rxg4 27. Ne3 Rh4+ 28. Kg3 {and his rook
is very bad," said Caruana. "In general he should keep his rook where it is
well placed.  "Perhaps}) (24... Be8 25. e7 Bc7 26. Ne3 Bxc6 27. Bxb4 Be8 $1 {
was possible when he could try to hang on; at least it was better than the
game."}) 25. e7 Ba5 {"After 24...Rc8,} (25... Bc7 {doesn't make much sense,"
said Caruana.}) 26. gxf5 {[#]} Be8 {"He had to try} (26... Bxf5 {," Caruana,
who was originally intending} 27. Ne3 Bxh3 28. Rfe1 $2 {having overlooked 28...
b3! However Caruana soon realised that} (28. Rf2 Be6 29. f5 Bf7 30. f6 $1 Rxc6
31. fxg7 {was the way to play, wth the idea} Kxg7 32. Rxf7+ $1 Kxf7 33. Rf1+ {
and White wins.}) 28... b3) 27. Nf2 Rd5 {"} (27... Rg3+ 28. Kh2 Rf3 29. Nxe4
Rxf1 30. Rxf1 Rxc6 31. Rd1 {is the same story," said Caruana.}) 28. Nxe4 Bxc6 {
[#]} 29. Bxb4 $1 {"The cleanest," said Caruana.} Bxb4 30. Rxc6 Re8 31. f6 Rd4
32. Re6 {"The final [trick] is} (32. Re6 gxf6 33. Nxf6+ Kf7 34. Nxe8 Kxe6 35.
Ng7+ $1 Kxe7 36. Nf5+ {and I pick up his rook," explained Caruana.}) 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.05.30"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Diagram 1"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "A29"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "12"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O {Diagram [#]} e4 (
6... d6) *

[Event "Santiago de Cuba"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1986.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "IM Luis Sieiro"]
[Black "IM Walter Arencibia"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "54"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 c5 7. Qg4 O-O 8. Nf3
f5 9. exf6 Rxf6 10. Bg5 Qa5 11. Bxf6 Qxc3+ 12. Kd1 Qxa1+ 13. Kd2 Ng6 14. h4 c4
15. h5 c3+ 16. Ke2 Bd7 17. Ne5 (17. hxg6 Bb5+ 18. Ke3 Qc1+ 19. Nd2 Qxd2+) (17.
a4 Qc1 18. hxg6 Qxc2+ 19. Ke3 Qc1+ 20. Kd3 h6 21. Bg5 Qd1+ 22. Ke3 e5) 17...
Bb5+ 18. Nd3 Nd7 19. Qxe6+ (19. hxg6 Nxf6 20. Qxe6+ Kh8 21. Rxh7+ Nxh7 22. Qh3
Kg8 23. Qe6+ Kh8 24. Qh3) 19... Kh8 20. Bxg7+ Kxg7 21. hxg6 Bxd3+ 22. Kf3 (22.
cxd3 Qb2+ 23. Kf3 Rf8+) (22. Kxd3 Qd1+ 23. Ke3 Qd2+) 22... Rf8+ 23. Kg3 Bxg6
24. Qxd7+ Rf7 25. Qxd5 Qe1 26. Qe5+ Qxe5+ 27. dxe5 Bxc2 0-1

[Event "Hastings 1957/58"]
[Site "Hastings ENG"]
[Date "1957.12.29"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Leonard William Barden"]
[Black "Peter Hugh Clarke"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C76"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1957.12.28"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. c3 Bd7 6. d4 g6 7. O-O Bg7 8. dxe5
dxe5 9. Qe2 Nge7 10. Rd1 O-O 11. Nbd2 Nd4 12. Nxd4 Bxa4 13. N4b3 Qd6 14. Nc4
Qe6 15. Ne3 Bxb3 16. axb3 {Diagram [#]} Rad8 17. Qc4 Rxd1+ 18. Nxd1 Rd8 19. Ne3
Qd7 20. Kf1 h5 21. Qe2 Qe6 22. Qc4 Qd7 23. Qe2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Hastings 2223"]
[Site "Hastings ENG"]
[Date "1922.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Fred Dewhurst Yates"]
[Black "Philip W Sergeant"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1922.12.27"]

1. e4 (1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Bd3 Bd6 5. O-O Nbd7 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. e4
dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 Nf6 10. Bd3 b6 11. Bg5 Bb7 12. Qe2 Be7 13. Rad1 Re8
14. c4 Nd7 15. Bc1 Bf6 16. Ne5 Qe7 17. Bc2 Red8 18. Ng4 Nf8 19. Qe3 Rd7 20.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 21. Qg3) 1... e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Bd3
Nxe4 7. Bxe4 Nf6 8. Bd3 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qe2 b6 11. Bg5 Bb7 12. Rad1 Nh5 13.
Bc1 g6 14. Rfe1 Bd6 15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Qf6 17. Ne5 Qf5 18. Qc6 Nf4 19. Bxf4
Qxf4 20. Re4 Qh6 21. Nf3 Rad8 22. Rde1 Qg7 23. a3 Qf6 24. c4 Qe7 25. b4 Qd7 26.
Qxd7 Rxd7 27. c5 bxc5 28. dxc5 Be7 29. Ne5 Rd2 30. Nc6 Bf6 31. R4e2 Rd3 32. Re3
Rxe3 33. Rxe3 Bb2 34. Rb3 Bc1 35. b5 Ra8 36. a4 Kf8 37. Kf1 Bg5 38. Ke2 Be7 39.
Rc3 Ke8 40. Kd3 Bf6 41. Rb3 Be7 42. Kc4 Kd7 43. Rd3+ Ke8 44. a5 Bf8 45. b6 axb6
46. axb6 Bxc5 47. b7 1-0

[Event "Bundesliga 0304"]
[Site "Germany"]
[Date "2003.12.13"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Viswanathan Anand"]
[Black "Luke McShane"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2766"]
[BlackElo "2619"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2003.11.01"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. c3 Bg7 12. Bd3 Be6 13. Qh5 O-O 14. O-O f4 {
Diagram [#]} 15. Nc2 (15. Rfd1) 15... f5 16. Ncb4 Nxb4 17. Nxb4 a5 18. exf5 Bf7
19. Qh3 Qf6 20. Nc2 Rab8 21. g3 Bh6 22. a4 b4 23. cxb4 d5 24. Bb5 Rfc8 25. Ne1
e4 26. bxa5 f3 27. a6 Bg7 28. Rb1 h5 29. b4 Rc7 30. Kh1 Qg5 31. Bd3 exd3 32. b5
d2 33. Nxf3 Qh6 34. Qh4 Qb6 35. Nxd2 Rc2 36. Rbd1 Re8 37. f6 Bxf6 38. a5 Bxh4
39. axb6 Bd8 40. b7 Bb6 41. Rc1 Bg6 42. Rce1 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel (Group B)"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2016.01.30"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Erwin L'Ami"]
[Black "Samuel Sevian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D24"]
[WhiteElo "2627"]
[BlackElo "2578"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2016.01.15"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bxc4 Nxe4 7. O-O Nxc3 8.
bxc3 Be7 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Qg4 Bf6 11. Ba3 Be7 12. Bc1 Bf6 13. Bf4 c5 14. Rad1
cxd4 15. cxd4 Nc6 16. Rd3 g6 17. h4 Na5 18. Bb5 Qd5 19. Ba4 Nc4 20. Qg3 Rd8 21.
Ng4 Be7 22. Rf3 e5 23. Nxe5 Be6 24. h5 Nxe5 25. Bxe5 Bd6 26. hxg6 hxg6 27. Bb3
Bxe5 28. dxe5 Qd7 29. Bxe6 Qxe6 30. Rf6 Qe7 31. Qg5 Qc5 32. Rc1 Qa5 {Diagram 
[#]} 33. Rxg6+ (33. Rxf7 Kxf7 34. e6+) 33... fxg6 34. Qxg6+ Kf8 35. e6 Ke7 36.
Qf7+ Kd6 37. e7 Re8 38. Rd1+ Kc7 39. Qf4+ Kc8 40. Qg4+ Kb8 41. Qd7 Rxe7 42.
Qxe7 a6 43. Rd8+ Ka7 44. Qe3+ 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel (Group B)"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2016.01.30"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Jorden van Foreest"]
[Black "Ju Wenjun"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C36"]
[WhiteElo "2541"]
[BlackElo "2548"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2016.01.15"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 d5 4. exd5 Nf6 5. Bb5+ c6 6. dxc6 bxc6 7. Bc4 Nd5 8.
O-O Bd6 9. Nc3 Be6 10. Ne4 Be7 11. Bb3 O-O 12. d4 Nd7 13. Qe2 a5 14. c4 N5b6
15. a3 g5 16. h4 h6 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. Nfxg5 Bxg5 19. Qh5 Bf6 20. d5 cxd5 21.
cxd5 Bd4+ 22. Nf2 Nxd5 23. Bxd5 Bxd5 24. Qxd5 Ne5 25. Qxd8 Raxd8 26. Bxf4 Ng4
27. Bg3 Ne3 28. Rfb1 f5 29. Ra2 f4 30. Bh4 Rd7 31. Nh3 Rg7 32. Bf2 Rf6 33. g3
Nf5 34. Bxd4 Nxd4 35. b4 Nf3+ 36. Kf2 fxg3+ 37. Ke3 Re7+ 38. Kd3 Rd6+ 39. Kc4
Nd2+ 40. Kc5 {Diagram [#]} Ne4+ 41. Kc4 (41. Kb5 Nc3+ 42. Kc5 Rd5+ 43. Kc6 Re6+
) 41... Rc7+ 42. Kb3 a4+ 43. Kxa4 Nc3+ 44. Ka5 Ra7# 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel (Group B)"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2016.01.26"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Miguoel Admiraal"]
[Black "Benjamin Bok"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2441"]
[BlackElo "2607"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2016.01.15"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. O-O a6 5. Bd3 Ngf6 6. Re1 e6 7. c3 Be7 8. Bc2
b5 9. d4 Bb7 10. a4 cxd4 11. cxd4 O-O 12. Nbd2 bxa4 13. Rxa4 Qc7 14. Bd3 Rfc8
15. Ra1 e5 16. Nf1 exd4 17. Nxd4 Bf8 18. Ng3 Re8 19. Bg5 g6 20. Qd2 d5 21. exd5
Nxd5 22. Rxe8 Rxe8 23. Be4 Nc5 24. Bf3 Qe5 25. Rd1 h6 26. Bxh6 Bxh6 27. Qxh6
Nf4 28. h4 Ncd3 29. Bxb7 Qxd4 30. Rf1 {Diagram [#]} Nxf2 31. Rxf2 (31. Kh2 Ng4+
) 31... Re1+ 32. Nf1 (32. Kh2 Qxf2) 32... Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Qd1# 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel (Group B)"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2016.01.23"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Baskaran Adhiban"]
[Black "Alexey Dreev"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2653"]
[BlackElo "2644"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2016.01.15"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. O-O
Be7 9. b3 dxc4 10. bxc4 c5 11. d5 exd5 12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Rd1 Bf6
15. e4 c4 16. Be2 Bxa1 17. Rxd5 Qc7 18. Ba3 Bf6 19. Bxc4 Be7 20. Qa4 Bxa3 {
Diagram [#]} 21. Rxd7 Qxd7 22. Bb5 Qxb5 (22... O-O-O 23. Bxd7+ Rxd7 24. Ne5 Rd2
25. Kf1) 23. Qxb5+ Kf8 24. Qb3 1-0

[Event "Tata Steel (Group B)"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2016.01.27"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Mikhail Antipov"]
[Black "Samuel Sevian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2567"]
[BlackElo "2578"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2016.01.15"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 O-O 6. c3 d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. a4
a6 9. Nbd2 Bg4 10. h3 Bh5 11. Ne4 Be7 12. Re1 Nb6 13. Bb3 Bg6 14. a5 Nd5 15.
Ba4 f6 16. Nh4 Nxa5 17. Nxg6 hxg6 18. b4 b5 19. Bc2 Nb7 20. Bb3 c6 21. Qg4 Qe8
22. c4 bxc4 23. dxc4 Nxb4 24. c5+ Nd5 25. Qe6+ Kh8 26. Bxd5 Nd8 27. Qg4 cxd5
28. Nd6 Bxd6 29. cxd6 Ra7 30. Ba3 Rd7 31. Rad1 Qf7 32. Rxd5 Qxd5 33. Qxd7 Ne6
34. Kh2 Rb8 35. Qf7 Kh7 36. Re3 Rb7 37. Qe8 {Diagram [#]} Nf4 38. Rg3 Qd1 39.
Rg4 Rb1 40. Kg3 Ne2+ 0-1

[Event "Tata Steel (Group B)"]
[Site "Wijk aan Zee NED"]
[Date "2016.01.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Mikhail Antipov"]
[Black "Jorden van Foreest"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B50"]
[WhiteElo "2567"]
[BlackElo "2541"]
[Annotator "Soltis, Andy"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2016.01.15"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Be2 Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 Nxe4 7. d5 Qa5+ 8.
Nc3 Nxc3 9. bxc3 Ne5 10. O-O e6 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Rb1 a6 13. Bf3 Bc5 14. d6 Ra7
15. Bg5 b5 16. Bc6+ Bd7 17. Qf3 f6 18. Bxf6 O-O 19. Bxd7 Qxa2 20. Qc6 gxf6 21.
c4 Rxd7 22. Qxd7 Qxc4 23. Rbc1 Qd5 24. Rfd1 Qb3 25. Qc7 Bd4 26. d7 Qd5 {
Diagram [#]} 27. Rc3 Ra8 28. Qc8+ Kf7 29. Qxa8 Qxa8 30. Rc8 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Saul Lopez"]
[Black "Johannes kohler"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[Annotator "Alburt, Lev"]
[PlyCount "27"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 (2... Nf6) 3. exd5 Qxd5 (3... Nf6 4. c4 (4. Bb5+) 4... e6) 4.
d4 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Be2 {Diagram [#]} Nf6 (6... cxd4) 7. O-O (7. c4 -- 8. Ne5)
7... e6 8. Be3 cxd4 9. Nxd4 Bxe2 10. Qxe2 Be7 {Diagram [#]} 11. Nb5 (11. Nd2) (
11. Rd1 --) 11... Bd8 (11... Qe5 12. f4 Qb8 13. -- a6) 12. Rd1 Qf5 (12... Qe5
13. Rd5 Be7) 13. Nd6+ Ke7 14. Na3 1-0

[Event "Fayette CC 1985"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anthony, Charles"]
[Black "Taylor, Phillip"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B71"]
[WhiteElo "1664"]
[BlackElo "1709"]
[Annotator "Alburt, Lev"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "2016.04.08"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. f4 Bg7 {Diagram [#]} 7.
e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 Nd5 (8... Ng4 9. Bb5+ Kf8) (8... Nfd7 9. e6 Ne5 10. Bb5+ Nbc6
11. exf7+ Kxf7 12. O-O+) 9. Bb5+ Kf8 10. O-O Bxe5 11. Bh6+ Kg8 12. Nxd5 Qxd5
13. Nf5 {Diagram [#]} Qc5+ 14. Be3 Qc7 15. Nh6+ 1-0

[Event "US Championship"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2012.05.13"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Yasser Seirawan"]
[Black "Ray Robson"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A16"]
[WhiteElo "2643"]
[BlackElo "2614"]
[Annotator "Root, Alexey"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2012.05.08"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Rb1 Nd7 8.
c4 O-O 9. Nf3 c5 10. O-O Rb8 11. d3 b6 12. Bb2 Bxb2 13. Rxb2 Bb7 14. Qd2 Qc7
15. Qf4 Qxf4 16. gxf4 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 {Diagram [#]} Rfc8 18. Kg2 e6 19. a4 a5 20.
Rfb1 Kf8 21. Kf1 Ke7 22. Ke1 Kd6 23. Kd2 Kc7 24. e3 h6 25. h4 Rg8 26. Rg1 h5
27. d4 cxd4 28. exd4 Kd6 29. Kc3 Rgc8 30. Rgb1 Ke7 31. Kd3 Rd8 32. Bc6 {
Diagram [#]} Kf6 33. Bxd7 Rxd7 34. Rxb6 Rbd8 35. d5 Kf5 36. Rb7 Kxf4 37. Rxd7
Rxd7 38. Kd4 g5 39. hxg5 h4 40. Rb8 Kxg5 41. Ke5 exd5 42. Rg8+ Kh5 43. cxd5 h3
44. d6 f6+ 45. Ke6 Rh7 46. Rg1 Kh4 47. Rh1 Kg4 48. d7 Rh8 49. Kxf6 1-0

[Event "2016 All-Girls Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.24"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Anupama Rajendra"]
[Black "Nastassja Matus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2062"]
[BlackElo "1985"]
[Annotator "Barrera, Jorge"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bb5 e6 6. Bxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Ne7 8. Ne4
O-O 9. O-O c4 10. b3 Ba6 11. bxc4 Bxc4 12. d3 Qb6+ 13. Kh1 Ba6 14. Ba3 Rfe8 15.
Qe1 Nd5 {Diagram [#]} 16. c4 Ne7 17. Nf6+ Bxf6 18. exf6 Nf5 19. g4 Nd4 20. Qh4
h5 21. gxh5 Qa5 22. hxg6 fxg6 23. Ng5 Qxg5 24. fxg5 Nf5 25. Rxf5 exf5 26. Qh6
Re7 27. Bxe7 Kf7 28. Qg7+ Ke6 29. Re1# 1-0

[Event "ch-USA 2016"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.17"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Caruana, F."]
[Black "Nakamura, Hi"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2787"]
[Annotator "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2016.04.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "17"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.18"]

{My win against Nakamura in the 4th round obviously went a long way towards
determining overall tournament victory. I was prepared for a big fight, but
was surprised to find out later that Hikaru considered this almost a must-win
situation for himself, which it just wasn't, so early in the tournament.} 1. e4
c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 h5 $5 {The
Najdorf didn't come as a huge surprise, as it has been a mainstay of
Nakamura's repertoire for many years, but this rare line with ...h5 was
unexpected. Black prevents g4, which makes developing White's attack less
straightforward. On the other hand, Black's kingside is weakened and his king
will probably remain in the center for a long time, so there is a degree of
risk with this strategy.} 8. a4 {Not a great move, but I wanted to try
something original. The main moves are 8.Qd2 and 8.Bc4.} Nc6 9. Bc4 ({Aiming
for a sort of Scheveningen with} 9. Be2 {also makes sense, but I wanted to
play more aggressively.}) 9... Qc7 10. Qe2 Be7 11. O-O Ne5 12. Bb3 Bd7 {At
this point I had a long think. Black will continue with ...Rc8 and ...Nc4, so
I have a choice between which bishop to trade. The one on b3 felt really nice,
so I decided on} 13. f4 Neg4 14. Kh1 Nxe3 15. Qxe3 {Black has gained the
bishop pair, but I have plenty of counterplay with f5, aiming to weaken
Black's light squares.} Qc5 $6 {Nakamura criticized this decision after the
game. The move looks natural and felt strong to me during the game, but
perhaps he's right that Black loses a valuable tempo.} ({It was possible to
castle immediately, when} 15... O-O-O 16. f5 {is hit by} d5 $1 {and the queen
on c7 eyes h2.}) 16. Rad1 g6 $6 {This move really does seem like a waste of
time, because it doesn't prevent me from playing f5  in the long run.} ({I was
more worried about} 16... h4 $5 {, with the idea of playing ...Nh5-g3 under
the right circumstances.}) 17. Qe2 {A good move, clearing my queen from the
pin, getting out of ...Ng4 ideas and preparing both e5 and f5.} O-O-O ({Maybe
Black should try} 17... h4 $5 {, with the following possible variation:} 18. e5
dxe5 19. fxe5 Nh5 20. Qf3 O-O 21. Qxb7 Ra7 22. Qe4 Ng7 {, and Black has some
compensation for the pawn.}) 18. f5 (18. e5 {was suggested as a stronger move,
but it didn't seem that clear to me during the game, and still doesn't after
it:} dxe5 19. fxe5 Ng4 20. Rxf7 Kb8 {, and although White is undoubtedly
better, there are a lot of pitfalls to avoid.}) 18... e5 (18... gxf5 19. exf5
e5 {was a perfectly viable option:} 20. Bxf7 exd4 21. Qxe7 {, and here a move
I missed and perhaps Nakamura missed as well:} Qe5 $1 22. Qxe5 dxe5 23. Nd5
Nxd5 24. Bxd5 Bxa4 {, and the endgame should be close to equal.}) 19. Nf3 gxf5
20. Ng5 $1 {He may have overlooked this move. The knight comes to f7 with
strong effect.} (20. exf5 h4 {, with ...Nh5 and ...Bc6 coming, is just a mess.}
) 20... f4 {This move feels positionally correct. The pawn exerts a cramping
influence on f4.} (20... fxe4 {would lead to an interesting position:} 21. Rxf6
$5 {Not the only move, but my intention during the game.} (21. Nd5 {is also
possible:} Nxd5 (21... Bg4 22. Nxe7+ Kb8 23. Qf2 Qxf2 24. Rxf2 Nh7 25. Nxh7
Bxd1 26. Nf6 e3 27. Rf1 e2 28. Re1 {and the knights dominate Black's rooks.})
22. Rxd5 Qb4 23. Nxf7 Rhf8 24. Nxd8 Rxf1+ 25. Qxf1 Kxd8 {, and White might
have the advantage but the position remains double-edged.}) 21... Bg4 22. Qe1
Bxf6 23. Ngxe4 Qb4 24. Nxf6 Bxd1 25. Qxd1 {I thought that White would be
better in this type of position because the minor pieces look dominating, but
materially Black is ahead and the game is objectively very unclear.}) 21. Rd3 {
A move which just feels correct. The rook gets out of the way of ...Bg4 and
threatens to swing to c3 or b3 in the future.} (21. Nxf7 Bg4 22. Rf3 Bxf3 23.
gxf3 {was tempting, but after some thought I decided I could play for more.}
Kb8 24. Nxh8 Rxh8 {is probably okay for Black.}) 21... Kb8 {Natural and
practically speaking probably the best move.} ({The computer recommends} 21...
Rdf8 22. Nd5 (22. Nxf7 Rh7 23. Ng5 Rg7 24. Ne6 Bxe6 25. Bxe6+ Kb8 26. b4 $1 {
is even stronger, and I doubt Black will last long from this position.}) 22...
Nxd5 23. Bxd5 {, and here I stopped my calculation, but} Qa7 $1 {apparently
holds, although I think you would need some particularly large cojones to play
like this. Even the basic} 24. Nf3 $5 {seems pretty troubling for Black in the
long run.}) (21... Bg4 22. Qd2 {doesn't help Black's cause at all.}) (21... h4
{was mentioned by the commentators after the game. The line continues} 22. Nd5
Nxd5 23. Bxd5 Bxg5 24. Rc3 Kb8 25. Rxc5 dxc5 {, and now I like the simple} 26.
h3 {Black's king is far from safe.}) 22. Nxf7 h4 $1 {The point and an
excellent one it is! Suddenly ...Nh5 and ...Ng3 is in the air. I still sorely
miss my dark-squared bishop.} 23. Nxh8 {Inaccurate. I should've kept the
tension, as my intuition told me (I need to listen more.)} (23. Qf2 $1 {avoids
the ...d5 idea, because after} d5 24. Qxc5 Bxc5 25. Nxd8 Rxd8 26. Bxd5 {
Black's rook is needed on h8 to prepare ...Nh5-g3!}) 23... Rxh8 24. Qf2 Qb4 $4
{The decisive blunder, and quite a surprising one because it's obvious that
Black under no circumstances should allow the trade of knights and a bishop
outposted on d5.} (24... Qa5 {was suggested by Nakamura and is playable, but
worse for Black.}) ({However,} 24... d5 $3 {was a fantastic opportunity for
counterplay:} 25. Bxd5 (25. Qxc5 $2 Bxc5 26. Bxd5 Nh5 $1 {is a sucker punch,
as Maurice Ashley would say.}) 25... Qxf2 ({Even a move like} 25... Qc7 $5 {
deserves attention, although it's probably not enough for equality.}) 26. Rxf2
Bc5 27. Rff3 Bg4 (27... Nh5 {now leads nowhere after} 28. h3 Ng3+ 29. Kh2) 28.
h3 Bxf3 29. gxf3 {, and White is up a pawn, but Black shouldn't have too many
problems holding a draw.}) 25. Nd5 Nxd5 (25... Qxe4 {is met not by the
primitive 26.Nxe7 but by} 26. Nxf6 $1 Bxf6 27. Rxd6 {, winning a bishop.}) 26.
Bxd5 Bxa4 $2 {Black could last longer if he had avoided this blunder of a
bishop, but the result is no longer in doubt. White is up an exchange with the
initiative to boot.} 27. Ra3 $1 {The move he missed. The bishop is immobile
and White plays c3 and b3 next, trapping the bishop.} h3 (27... Bb5 28. Qb6 $1
{is a cute trick.}) 28. c3 Qb5 29. b3 Bh4 30. bxa4 Qd3 31. g3 (31. g3 {Black
resigned, because} Bxg3 {is met by the simple} 32. Qf3 $1 Qd2 33. Ra2) 1-0

[Event "US Chess Championships"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Wesley So"]
[Black "Varuzhan Akobian"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2773"]
[BlackElo "2615"]
[Annotator "Hess, R"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2016.04.13"]

{These two players have an interesting history. In the 2015 US Championship,
Wesley So infamously forfeited his game against Akobian for "writing notes" on
his scoresheet. So clearly wanted his revenge, and made mince meat out of
Akobian's Rubinstein.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6.
Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 {I've always thought that this variation makes it very easy
for White to continue. Space for Black is often hard to come by, whereas for
White there is a very natural plan.} c5 $6 {Perhaps a bit too aggressive. In
hindsight, Akobian would have been much better suited to resort to passivity.}
({A variation like} 7... Bd6 8. Bd3 O-O 9. O-O b6 10. Qe2 Bb7 {looks safer for
Black, though I understand the desire to break out as soon as possible.}) 8.
Be3 {Precisely why I would have avoided committing to c5 so early. White
achieves ridiculously easy development, and Black has nothing to show for it.}
(8. Ne5 {is also a good move, and was Kasparov's choice in his masterful
victory over Ruslan Ponomariov back in Linares 2002.} Nd7 9. Bb5 Bd6 10. Qg4
Kf8 11. O-O Nxe5 12. dxe5 Bxe5 13. Bg5 Bf6 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. Qh4 Bxg5 16. Qxg5
f6 17. Qh5 g6 18. Qh6+ Kf7 19. Rd3 a6 20. Rh3 Qe7 21. Bd3 f5 22. g4 Qf6 23. Rd1
b5 24. Be2 e5 25. Rhd3 Ra7 26. Rd6 Qg7 27. Qe3 Rc7 28. a4 e4 29. axb5 axb5 30.
Bxb5 Qe5 31. Qg5 Qe7 32. Qh6 Be6 33. Qf4 Bc8 34. Qh6 Be6 35. gxf5 gxf5 36. Be2
Qf6 37. Bh5+ Ke7 38. Rxe6+) 8... cxd4 9. Bxd4 Be7 10. Bd3 O-O (10... Qc7 {is a
move I don't quite comprehend, but has been played on a number of occasions. I
wouldn't commit the queen to c7 before taking care of my other pieces.
Cheparinov got a rough position before eventually escaping:} 11. O-O O-O 12.
Be5 Qb6 13. Qc2 h6 14. a4 a5 15. Rad1 Rd8 16. Bb5 Nd5 17. c4 Nb4 18. Qc3 Rxd1
19. Rxd1 f6 20. Bd4 Qc7 21. c5 Nd5 22. Qc2 Bd7 23. Bc4 Rc8 24. Qe4 f5 25. Qe1
Bxc5 26. Bxc5 Qxc5 27. b3 Re8 28. Ne5 Bc6 29. Nxc6 bxc6 30. Qe5 {½-½ Salgado
Lopez,I (2624)-Cheparinov,I (2672) Camarinas 2013}) 11. Qc2 h6 12. O-O-O Qa5
13. Kb1 {It is all too clear that the opening did not go well for Akobian. His
queenside is underdeveloped and his attacking chances are nonexistent.
Meanwhile, So has beautifully centralized minor pieces and a straightforward
plan of action on the kingside: Rg1 followed by g4-g5.} Rd8 (13... Bd7 $2 14.
Bxf6 Bxf6 (14... Ba4 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Bxe7 Bxc2+ 17. Bxc2 {should result in a
simple win, since the three minors completely overwhelm the queen.}) 15. Bh7+
Kh8 16. Rxd7 {is disastrous.}) 14. Ne5 (14. Rhg1 b5 (14... Bd7 15. g4 Nd5 16.
Bh7+ Kf8 17. Be4 Bc6 18. Ne5 {and White presses on.}) 15. g4 Bb7 16. g5 hxg5
17. Nxg5 {looks horrible for Black. Wesley decided to prevent Akobian from
developing his light-squared bishop, but 14. Rhg1 was also very direct.}) 14...
Bd7 15. Qe2 $146 ({The first new move, and a very natural one. White also had
a great position and went on to win after} 15. Nxd7 Nxd7 16. Bh7+ Kh8 17. Be4
Qc7 18. Qe2 Bf6 19. Be3 Nc5 20. Bc2 b6 21. h4 Rxd1+ 22. Qxd1 Rd8 23. Qe2 Qb7
24. f3 Qa6 25. Qxa6 Nxa6 26. h5 Kg8 27. Rd1 Rxd1+ 28. Bxd1 Kf8 29. Kc2 Ke7 30.
Kd3 Nc7 31. f4 e5 32. Ke4 Kd6 33. Bb3 Ne6 34. fxe5+ Bxe5 35. Kf5 g6+ 36. hxg6
fxg6+ 37. Kxg6 Nf4+ 38. Kf5 Nxg2 39. Bxh6 Nh4+ 40. Kg5 Ng2 41. Kg4 Ne1 42. Kf5
Bg3 43. Ke4 Bf2 44. Bf4+ Kc6 {Lilov,V (2412)-Halldorsson,J (2214) Albena 2011
1-0}) 15... Bc6 16. Rhe1 (16. f4 Rxd4 $5 {this exchange sacrifice is thematic,
though White remains better in all lines. Black attempts to stop the kingside
onslaught before it even begins, and White is left with some weak pawns, but
the material advantage is enough for a decent edge.} 17. cxd4 (17. Nxc6 bxc6
18. cxd4 Rb8 19. Bc4 Qf5+ 20. Rd3 Rb4 21. Rc1 Qxf4 {White certainly is better
here, but Black has very strong counterplay with knight and pawn for the rook,
not to mention the opposite-colored bishops.}) 17... Bd5 18. Bc4) 16... Bd5 17.
c4 Bxg2 {Oy vey. Black had nothing better to do, but voluntarily opening the
g-file for those white rooks is generally not recommended.} 18. Bc3 (18. Nxf7 {
must have been tempting, but it does not quite work:} Rxd4 19. Qxe6 Rxd3 20.
Rxd3 Qxe1+ 21. Qxe1 Kxf7 {leaves Black slightly better with three minors for a
queen and a pawn.}) (18. Qe3 {threatens Rg1 followed by Qxh6. Black likely has
nothing better than} Rxd4 19. Qxd4 Qc5 20. Qf4 Bd6 {but White's attack rages
on:} 21. Qg3 Bc6 22. f4 {and Black is still in a world of trouble.}) 18... Qb6
{Akobian spent about thirty minutes on this move, fearing impending sacrifices
on f7. His time would have been best saved for the ensuing sequence, since he
clearly could not figure out all the complications with such little time on
the clock.} 19. Rg1 Bc6 (19... Bh3 {doesn't help matters at all:} 20. Qd2 Rxd3
(20... Kf8 21. Rxg7 $1 Kxg7 22. Rg1+ Kf8 23. Qxh6+ Ke8 24. Qh8+ Bf8 25. Qxf6
Qc7 26. Rg8 {Black's king is boxed in, with White about to deliver the fatal
blow.}) 21. Nxd3 Kf8 22. Ka1 {is fantastic for White.}) 20. Nxf7 $1 {A great
move to play in your opponent's time trouble, and also a winning move!} (20.
Qd2 {was also very strong. Black must play} Rxd3 {but after} 21. Nxd3 Kf8 22.
Ne5 {White is up an exchange for a pawn and the attack rolls on.}) 20... Kxf7
21. Rxg7+ $1 (21. Bg6+ $2 Kf8 22. Qxe6 Be4+ {would have turned the tables.})
21... Kxg7 22. Qxe6 {White has sacrificed a rook and knight for two pawns and
a vicious attack. Akobian has no way to fend off all the threats.} Qxf2 {
Stopping Rg1+, but losing by force.} (22... Re8 {was the only move that
temporarily held on. The engines at first mistakenly think that Black is
holding, but White still is crashing through:} 23. c5 $1 (23. Qf5 Kf8 24. Bxf6
Bd7 $1 25. Bxe7+ Kxe7 26. Qh7+ Kf8 27. Bg6 (27. Qxd7 Re7 {allows the fight to
rage on.}) 27... Qf6 28. Rxd7 Re1+ 29. Kc2 Qxf2+ 30. Rd2 Qf6 31. Qxh6+ Ke7 32.
Qh7+ Kf8 {White is significantly better here, but the game is far from over.})
23... Qd8 24. Bc2 Qxd1+ 25. Bxd1 Bd8 26. Qg4+ Kf8 27. Qf4 Kg7 28. Bc2 {With
the king loose, the pieces disjointed, and the endless pin and attack on the
knight, Black is completely busted.}) 23. Qxe7+ Kg8 24. Bh7+ {A brutal finish
to a victory that catapulted So into a tie with Caruana after 5 rounds. Wesley
obliterated Akobian, which must make the top 10 player satisfied after last
year's debacle.} 1-0

[Event "US Chess Championships"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.20"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Fabiano Caruana"]
[Black "Alexander Onischuk"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2664"]
[Annotator "Hess, R"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r3r1k1/2p2ppp/p1Pb4/R7/4nP2/2P1B3/1P3P1P/1N1R2K1 b - - 0 22"]
[PlyCount "12"]
[EventDate "2016.04.13"]

22... Rab8 23. Nd2 ({The start of a fantastic sequence that takes advantage of
the fact that the black king has no luft. We mere mortals likely would have
chosen} 23. b4 Nxc3 24. Nxc3 Bxb4 25. Rxa6 Bxc3 26. Rd7 Rec8 27. Ra7 Bf6 28.
Raxc7 Rxc7 29. Rxc7 Bd8 30. Ra7 Rc8 {after which Black has decent drawing
chances.}) (23. Ra2 {is also solid, though it feels quite passive.}) 23... Rxb2
24. Nxe4 Rxe4 {At first glance it looks like Onischuk is doing just fine,
since he has his back rank covered. Caruana could have captured the a6 pawn
with an edge, but the game continuation is decisive on the spot!} 25. Re5 $3
Rxe3 (25... Bxe5 {allows the immediate checkmate} 26. Rd8#) (25... Rxe5 26.
fxe5 Be7 27. Rd7 Kf8 28. Ba7 {is a beautiful finishing touch. Black
simultaneously has back rank issues and can't contain the c-pawn.}) 26. fxe3
Rb8 27. Ra5 Kf8 28. c4 {Down a full exchange and about to facing rook
infiltration, Onischuk throws in the towel not a moment too soon.} 1-0

[Event "US Chess Championships"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.25"]
[Round "11.1"]
[White "Akshat Chandra"]
[Black "Fabiano Caruana"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2477"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "Hess, R"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2016.04.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a4
b4 9. d4 O-O 10. dxe5 dxe5 11. Nbd2 Bc5 12. a5 h6 13. Bc4 Bb7 14. c3 Qd6 15.
Qe2 Rad8 16. Nf1 Ne7 17. Ng3 Ng6 18. Be3 bxc3 19. bxc3 {Up until now, the game
was a typical Spanish structure with relatively harmless maneuvering by both
sides. But now Chandra missed his chance to make his presence at his first US
Championship felt:} (19. Rad1 Qc6 20. Bxf7+ $1 {was the tactical shot that the
commentators (and fans of Nakamura and So) were hoping for. Chandra spent far
too much time in the opening, otherwise he might have been able to find this
admittedly difficult combination.} Kxf7 21. Qc4+ Qe6 22. Qxc5 Rxd1 23. Rxd1 Qc6
{is quite solid defense. For instance} (23... Qb3 {gets Black into more
trouble, as the queen is actually needed in defense.} 24. Re1 cxb2 25. Nd2 Qb5
26. Qxc7+ Kg8 27. Nf5 Ne8 28. Qb6 Rf6 29. Qxb5 axb5 30. Rb1 Rc6 31. Rxb2 Rc1+
32. Nf1 Ra1 {White still is better in the resulting position, but Black should
hold. There's simply not enough material on the board for White to claim too
large an advantage.}) 24. Nxe5+ Nxe5 25. Qxe5 Re8 26. Qxc3 Qxc3 27. bxc3 Nxe4 {
with a likely draw, thanks to the opposite colored bishops. Yet, if you're
Chandra, this is a dream position where you're playing for two results.}) 19...
Bxe3 20. Qxe3 Qc6 21. Bf1 Bc8 22. h3 Be6 23. Reb1 Nd7 24. Rb4 Kh7 25. Rab1 Qc5
26. Bxa6 Qxa5 27. Bf1 Qc5 {The position is just about equal, with the tiniest
of advantages for Black thanks to the hole on f4. In neutral territory and up
a lot of time and over 300 rating points, most were no longer questioning the
eventual victory for Caruana.} 28. Qxc5 Nxc5 29. Bc4 Nd3 30. Ra4 Ngf4 31. Ne1
Nxe1 32. Rxe1 Rd2 33. Bf1 {A sad retreating move, but not nearly as sad as
White's 36th.} (33. Ne2 Bxc4 34. Nxf4 Bb3 35. Rb4 Ba2 36. Nh5 {was not a
particularly favorable trade for White, whose knight is outclassed by the
enemy bishop. Yet it was much better than the game.}) 33... Rb8 34. Rb4 Ra8 35.
Rb7 Raa2 36. Nh1 {You hate to see that. White lacks anything resembling active
counterplay, considering the knight on h1 is stuck to the defense of the f2
pawn. This is a great example of how being even in material does not mean the
position is equal. Black's pieces are in perfect harmony, while White's are
miserably situated.} c5 37. Rc7 Ra5 38. Ng3 Rc2 39. c4 g6 40. Rb1 Kg7 41. Rcb7
Raa2 42. Nh1 Bxc4 43. Bxc4 Rxc4 44. Re7 Rb4 45. Rd1 Rd4 46. Rb1 Ne6 47. Rbb7
Nd8 48. Rbc7 Kf6 {White's attack lacks teeth; there is not even a single
waiting move to recommend, as the position is completely hopeless.} 49. f4 Rd1+
50. Kh2 exf4 51. e5+ Kg5 52. Rxc5 Ne6 53. Rc3 Rdd2 0-1

[Event "US Chess Championships (Women)"]
[Site "St. Louis, MO USA"]
[Date "2016.04.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anna Zatonskih"]
[Black "Tatev Abrahamyan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E00"]
[WhiteElo "2470"]
[BlackElo "2342"]
[Annotator "Hess, R"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2rqk2r/pp2bppp/2n1b3/7n/2PN1B2/1N4P1/PP2P1BP/2RQ1RK1 b k - 0 14"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "2016.04.13"]

14... Nxd4 {White is currently up a pawn and has a phenomenal bishop on g2.
With this in mind, Anna goes forth with the logical idea to trade queens.} 15.
Qxd4 $4 (15. Nxd4 {would have been enough for a big Zatonskih advantage:} Nxf4
16. Rxf4 {and White's activity is overwhelming.} O-O (16... Bg5 {looks like a
skewer, but it doesn't pan out:} 17. Nxe6 fxe6 18. Qa4+ Qd7 19. Qxd7+ Kxd7 20.
Rf7+ Ke8 21. Rcf1 {White's rooks are safe and active, leaving her with a won
position.}) 17. Nxe6 fxe6 {will not be an enjoyable defensive task.}) {...
except this move doesn't trade queens; rather, it loses the queen for just a
rook after} 15... Bc5 $1 {The knight is overloaded, both protecting the
otherwise unguarded queen and defending the c5 square. The queen is lost and
the rest is easy.} 16. Qxc5 Rxc5 17. Nxc5 Qd4+ 18. Kh1 Qxc5 19. Bd2 O-O 20. b4
Qe7 21. Bf3 Nf6 22. a3 Rc8 23. c5 Bd5 24. Bf4 Qxe2 0-1

[Event "ch-USA w 2016"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.24"]
[Round "10.2"]
[White "Paikidze, N."]
[Black "Melekhina, A."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A48"]
[WhiteElo "2346"]
[BlackElo "2205"]
[Annotator "Paikidze, Nazi"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2016.04.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "2"]
[Source "Mark Crowther"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.25"]

{This game took place during the 10th round of the U.S. Women's Chess
Championship. I was half a point behind the leader, Tatev Abrahamyan. To
continue fighting for the first place, I absolutely needed to win this game.} 
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 O-O 5. c3 {At first glance, my opening
choice may appear to be unambitious; it is difficult to infer that I was in a
must-win situation. However, I find the Torre System is a good option when I
am playing a weaker opponent and I do not want to test their opening knowledge,
but instead, simply outplay them.} d6 6. e4 Nc6 {This move came as a surprise
to me. In my preparation, I had only looked at the main line:} (6... c5 7. dxc5
dxc5 8. Bc4 Nc6 9. O-O Qc7 {Both colors have equal chances, but personally, I
would prefer to play with white}) 7. h3 {Not the most accurate move. I was
trying to avoid Bg4 but it was not necessary:} (7. Be2 {if} Bg4 {simply} 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Bxf3 e5 10. d5 {This position is similar to the King's Indian
structure, where white has a space advantage.}) 7... e5 8. dxe5 dxe5 {I
thought the idea of Nc6 was to recapture on e5 with a knight, but Alisa did
not spend much time considering it.} ({I believe taking with knight would
simplify the position even more:} 8... Nxe5 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. Bc4 h6 11. Be3 Qe7
12. O-O b6 {I don't see any advantage for white; this is a very equal positon})
9. Bc4 Qe7 10. O-O h6 11. Be3 a6 {A novelty - I did not fully understand the
reason behind this move. I was thinking black should play Rd8-b6 and develop
bishop on b7, forcing white to defend the e4 pawn.} (11... Rd8 12. Qc2 b6 13.
Rad1 Bb7 {equal play.}) 12. b4 $1 {I had recently learned from Jaacob
Aagaard's "Positional Play," that pawn on a6 can be a hook. "A hook is a pawn,
usually advanced, which can be challenged" - hence the b4 move.} Rd8 13. Qc2
Be6 {I had a choice here: retreat bishop to e2 or b3} 14. Bb3 (14. Be2 {Seemed
a bit passive for me. Also, the bishop on e2 can be attacked by a typical
maneuver in similar positions: Nh5-Nf4} Nh5 {[%cal Gh5f4]}) 14... Nh5 15. a4
Qd7 ({As soon as I played 15.a4 I noticed a tactical continuation for my
opponent:} 15... Nd4 $1 16. cxd4 exd4 17. Nxd4 Bxd4 {And black solved the
problem of awkward knight on c6. Only black can be slightly better in this
position. I was unhappy to have missed this tactical continuation that would
have made my task of winning this game much more difficult. Luckily, my
opponent did not find it either.}) 16. Rfd1 {I was hoping Alisa would go for
the queen exchange} Qd3 $2 {My opponent decided to voluntarily go to an
endgame with doubled pawns, and worse pieces. I had no problem with it!} (16...
Nf4 {was definitely better for black, keeping the tension on the board.} 17.
Nc4 Qe8 {slightly better for white.}) 17. Qxd3 Rxd3 18. Bxe6 fxe6 19. Rdc1 {
Simply defended the c3 pawn and avoided any possible rook exchanges on d file;
I wanted to keep more peices on the board.} Ng3 $2 {This was a bad decision
from Alisa. Of her 3 minor peices, 2 were bad (knight on c6 and bishop on g7).
I don't think she realized how much worse her position was. Exchanging the
only good minor piece was a fatal mistake.} ({Better was} 19... Nf6) ({Or} 
19... Nf4) 20. fxg3 Rxe3 21. Kf2 Rd3 {Now black is left with an awful bishop,
a useless knight, and a terrible pawn structure.} 22. Ke2 Rdd8 23. g4 {Making
sure black's bishop doesn't get any activity (h5-Bh6).} b6 (23... h5 24. g5 $1
$16) 24. Nc4 {Threatening b5 and then winning the e5 pawn. This provoked black
to play b5, which made her pawn structure even worse and created more
weaknesses in her position} b5 25. Ncd2 {Now the knight is going to head to c5,
attacking both the weak a6 and e6 pawns.} g5 26. Ra2 Ne7 27. axb5 axb5 28. Rca1
{took control of the A file and increased my advantage} Rac8 29. Nb3 Ng6 30. g3
{Black has no counterplay.} Bf8 31. Ra6 Bd6 {The knight has done its job on f3
and it is time to bring it to c5!} 32. Ne1 Nf8 33. Nd3 Nd7 34. Nbc5 Kf7 ({
Alisa's last chance was to exchange the bishop and try to defend a worse
endgame with fewer pieces left on the board.} 34... Bxc5 35. bxc5 Kf7 {However,
after} 36. R6a5 {White is going to win a pawn and continue to dominate the
position.}) 35. Nb7 Rh8 $2 {Very strange move. I considered her rook moving to
any other square, except h8. This ends the game faster} 36. Nxd6+ cxd6 37. Rxd6
Ke7 38. Raa6 Rxc3 39. Rxe6+ Kf7 40. Red6 Ke7 41. Rd5 Rhc8 42. Rxh6 Nb8 43. Rh7+
Kf8 44. Rh8+ Kf7 45. Rxc8 Rxc8 46. Nxe5+ Kf6 47. Rxb5 Nc6 48. Nxc6 Rxc6 49.
Rf5+ Kg6 50. Kd3 Rc1 51. h4 {Beautiful endgame for white. I was happy that I
got the positional advantage in the endgame and slowly improved it without
giving my opponent a chance to fight back. This dominating win gave me a boost
of confidence before the important last round.} 1-0

[Event "Ultimate Blitz Challenge"]
[Site "St. Louis, MO USA"]
[Date "2016.04.29"]
[Round "10.2"]
[White "Wesley So"]
[Black "Garry Kasparov"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A41"]
[Annotator "Hess, R"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2016.04.28"]

1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Bg4 5. Be2 Nc6 6. Nbd2 {So plays a tricky
move order. Far more common is} (6. Be3 e5 {and a fight for the central
squares ensues. The principled continuation is} 7. d5 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nd4) 6... e5
(6... Nxd4 $4 {loses a piece after} 7. Nxd4 Bxe2 8. Nxe2) 7. d5 Nce7 (7... Bxf3
{was a thought, but this is a bad variation for Black.} 8. Nxf3 Nd4 9. Nxd4
exd4 10. O-O {is very favorable for White, who can boast a huge lead in
development, the two bishops advantage, and a potential target on d4.}) 8. h3
Bd7 9. c5 $1 {A timely pawn sacrifice for an overwhelming initiative.} dxc5 10.
Nc4 f6 11. d6 $6 {Perhaps a bit rushed, though in blitz this might be a wise
practical decision. White actually loses the advantage with this move, though
with little time, it is hard to calculate combinations quickly enough.} (11.
Be3 b6 {at least keeps Kasparov's pieces at bay and prevents the ...b5 break
we could have seen on move 12.}) 11... Nc8 12. Be3 b6 (12... b5 $1 {was
necessary. White actually ends up worse here, since So has in fact sacrificed
a pawn for activity. Without activity...he's just down a pawn!} 13. dxc7 Qxc7
14. Na3 Nd6 {is quite nice for Black. Even if Kasparov were forced to give
back the extra pawn, he would have developed quickly. It's not like White's
knight on a3 is particularly well placed. Importantly} 15. Qd5 {is met by the
very nice} Ne7 $1 {because} 16. Qxa8+ Kf7 17. Qxh8 Bxh8 {is practically
winning for Black, as the queen and pawn are superior to the two rooks in this
closed position.}) 13. O-O Bc6 $2 (13... Nxd6 14. Nxd6+ cxd6 15. Qxd6 Qe7 {
Black is doing just fine here, an extra pawn providing full compensation for
the dearth of development and space.}) 14. dxc7 Qxc7 15. b4 $1 (15. Qb3 {was
dominating, but how could Wesley resist going all out against the legendary
Kasparov?}) 15... cxb4 (15... b5 $6 16. Na5 c4 {would have kept Kasparov in
the game, though the position still is suspect.}) 16. Rc1 Nge7 17. Qb3 {Black
is totally lost after this simple move, since castling will never be possible
with discoveries at every turn.} h6 (17... O-O 18. Ncxe5+ {would force
resignation.}) 18. Rfd1 b5 19. Ncxe5 $1 {Another sacrifice, but White gets
back his material and even more.} fxe5 20. Bxb5 (20. Qe6 {was even faster,
thanks to a ridiculous tactic:} a6 21. Bxh6 $3 {clears either the g5 or e5
square for the White knight, which will assist Qf7 mating ideas.}) 20... Rb8
21. Ba4 (21. Bxc6+ Nxc6 22. Qe6+ N8e7 23. Rd6 {was winning as well, but why
make things unnecessarily complicated?}) 21... Qb7 22. Rxc6 Nxc6 23. Qe6+ N8e7
(23... Kf8 24. Rd8+ $1 Nxd8 25. Qe8#) 24. Bc5 Rc8 25. Bxe7 {Kasparov tipped
his king, as mate in four is unstoppable.} 1-0

[Event "US Chess Championships (Women)"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.25"]
[Round "11.2"]
[White "Irina Krush"]
[Black "Nazi Paikidze"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2346"]
[Annotator "Hess, R"]
[PlyCount "128"]
[EventDate "2016.04.14"]

{Before I begin my chess analysis, I must make a few remarks. First, it must
be noted that being in a must-win situation with the black pieces against a
significantly higher-rated opponent is one of the hardest predicaments life
can offer. As Paikidze stood at an impressive 7.5/10, she needed to score to
catch up or (in the best case) surpass Tatev Abrahamyan, who blitzed out to 8/
10. Second, Paikidze had played the absolute best chess at the 2016 US Women's
Championship. I'm not sure if she ever was worse for more than a couple of
moves in any of her games. And third, and perhaps most important, she had
defeated Krush in their 2015 encounter. Paikidze has not lost a game in the US
Women's Championship, and she sure wasn't going to break that streak in this
game.} 1. Nf3 Nf6 (1... d5 2. g3 Bg4 3. Bg2 Nd7 4. d3 e6 5. Nbd2 Bd6 6. O-O Ne7
7. b3 {what's the relevance of this variation? It's what happened in the
matchup between these two women in 2015, with colors reversed.}) 2. g3 d5 3.
Bg2 c6 4. O-O Bg4 5. d3 Nbd7 6. h3 Bh5 7. Qe1 {An odd-looking move, but the
idea is clear: play e4.} (7. g4 {could backfire if White is not extra careful,
since overextending one's kingside tends not to be a great idea.}) 7... e5 8.
e4 dxe4 9. dxe4 Bc5 10. a4 {Thematic. White tries to gain space on both sides
of the board before finishing her development. Black isn't doing so badly,
though.} a5 ({By move 20 in the following game, Wesley So had a nice edge with
the black pieces against Anish Giri} 10... O-O 11. Nh4 a5 12. Nd2 Qc7 13. Kh1
Rfe8 14. Nb3 Bb4 15. Bd2 Bxd2 16. Qxd2 Red8 17. Qc3 Bg6 18. Nxg6 hxg6 19. Rfd1
b6 20. Bf3 Nf8 21. Kg2 Ne6 22. h4 g5 23. hxg5 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Nxg5 25. Qe3 Nxf3
26. Qxf3 Rd8 27. Rxd8+ Qxd8 28. Qe2 g6 29. c3 Qd6 30. Nd2 b5 31. Nb3 bxa4 32.
Nxa5 Qc5 33. Nc4 Qb5 34. Kf1 Kg7 35. Ke1 Nd7 36. f3 Qc5 37. Kf1 Qb5 38. Ke1 Qc5
39. Kf1 Nb6 40. Na3 {Giri,A (2784)-So,W (2775) Doha 2015 1/2-1/2 (62)}) 11. Na3
O-O 12. Nc4 Qc7 13. Bd2 b6 14. Nh4 Rfe8 15. Kh1 {Aiming to play f4. This helps
explain why White moved the queen to e1 rather than the rook, which supports
the pawn thrust from f1.} Bg6 16. Nxg6 $146 {Apparently this is a novelty? Not
significant, but hey, a new move is a new move!} (16. Qe2 {would have been my
choice here, if not only because the square is newly accessible. White is
ever-so-slightly better, but Black is incredibly solid.}) 16... hxg6 17. f4 b5
$1 {I'm a big fan of this move. Paikidze has a great feel for the game,
sacrificing her a-pawn for a tremendous initiative. The sign of a very strong
player, she realizes that the action will heat up on the kingside, so forcing
her opponent's pieces away from that half of the board is a phenomenal
practical decision.} (17... Nh5 18. f5 gxf5 19. Rxf5 g6 20. Rxh5 $1 {would
make me hesitant about entering this variation. Black might escape with the
aid of a laptop and engine, but over the board the last thing you want is for
your kingside to be ripped open.} gxh5 21. Qe2 Re6 22. Qxh5 Rg6 23. Rf1 {with
great play for the sacrificed material, a rook for a bishop and pawn.}) 18.
Bxa5 (18. Nxe5 {is not a move White wants to play. Krush correctly discerns
that the bishop on g2 will be much worse than the knight on f6.} Nxe5 19. fxe5
Qxe5 20. axb5 cxb5 21. Bf4 Qxb2 22. e5 Rac8 23. Qxa5 Nh5 {despite the engine's
claim that the position is level, Black is to be preferred. The f7 pawn is
indeed a target, but g3 has an even bigger bullseye on it.}) 18... Qc8 19. axb5
cxb5 20. Nd2 exf4 21. gxf4 Nd5 {making use of the pin on the e-file.} 22. Rf3 (
{We're often told that when we're up material but in a difficult spot, one of
our first thoughts should be to return the material. Krush likely wanted to
win at all costs, but her position was already quite uncomfortable. Returning
the pawn would have made her life much more pleasant.} 22. b4 Nxb4 23. Qb1 Nc6
24. Bc3 {is just a smidgen better for Black, though the position is level.})
22... f5 $5 {ferocious play by Paikidze! There are clear benefits to this move:
White's center is fragile and her king is open. Yet, there are also huge
drawbacks: the golden pawn can never move backwards, so now Black's king is
also exposed. Moreover, Black lacks a light-squared bishop to compete for the
h1-a8 diagonal. Still, a fantastic decision in a must-win game.} (22... N7f6 {
was safer and the engines prefer it, but I'm not sure it is a better practical
option. At the end of most of these lines, White has a bunch of relatively
obvious moves that should allow the game to fizzle out into a drawn ending.
See some of the following examples, which admittedly have not been throroughly
checked with engines (I prefer to focus on the practical aspects, since we
will never be able to play like Komodo).} 23. Qf1 Nxe4 (23... Ne3 24. Qxb5 Nxe4
25. Nxe4 Rxe4 26. Re1 Re7 27. Bc3 Rb8 (27... Nxg2 28. Kxg2 Rxe1 29. Bxe1 Ra1
30. Bf2 Bxf2 31. Rxf2 Qa8+ 32. Rf3 Rd1 33. Qe2 Qa1 34. Rf1 Rxf1 35. Qxf1 Qxb2
36. Qd3 {is equal.}) (27... Nf5 28. Rxe7 Bxe7 29. Qd3 {is no fun for White.
The material count is meaningless: Irina's extra pawn is peanuts compared to
the onslaught possible on the White king.}) 28. Qd3 Qe8 29. Bd4 Nxc2 30. Rxe7
Qxe7 31. Bxc5 Qxc5 32. Qc3 {is nothing concrete, White holds.}) 24. Nxe4 Rxe4
25. Rd3 Rxf4 26. Qe2 Bb6 27. Rxd5 Rxa5 28. Rxa5 Bxa5 29. Qxb5 {gives slight
winning chances for Black because of White's airy kingside, but objectively
White should be totally fine.}) 23. e5 g5 {Of course! Undermining White's
center is a must.} 24. fxg5 (24. Qd1 {poses Black some real problems. The move
looks very strange, since it invites Ne3 (which can't be played for now, since
after sacrificing the exchange on e3 the idea of Bd5+ and Qh5 would prove
catastrophic for Black). The idea is that a knight or a kingside rook move
opens up a discovered attack on the knight on d5. So what is Black to do?
Paikidze would have been left with some tough choices, but perhaps she would
have opted for} Nf8 (24... N7b6 25. b4 Bxb4 26. Bxb4 Rxa1 27. Qxa1 Nxb4 28. Qd4
N4d5 29. Rg3) 25. Ne4 $1 (25. Rg3 Ne3 26. Rxe3 Bxe3 27. Bd5+ Ne6 28. fxg5 g6 {
is so double-edged, I don't know who is better. So that probably means it is
equal.}) 25... Nxf4 26. Rxf4 gxf4 27. Qd5+ Ne6 28. Nd6 Bxd6 29. exd6 Qd7 30. b4
{is a huge pain for Black to hold.}) 24... Nxe5 {Now Black's position is just
dominant. The three minors on the fifth rank are imposing.} 25. Rf2 $4 {I just
don't comprehend this move at all. Sure, White avoids her rook being en prise
if Black goes Ne3, but this invites a killer shot.} (25. Rf1 Ne3 26. Qg3 Nxf1
27. Nxf1 {is favorable for Black, but it's anything but easy. Black's king is
no less open than White's.}) (25. Qe2 Nxf3 26. Qxf3 Re5 {is problematic. White
is tied up, and Black is now well-defended. With a few more moves, Black
should completely unravel.}) 25... Ne3 (25... Nd3 $1 {the commentators (who
were joined by Garry Kasparov) were hoping for this move. As the legendary
champion stated, inviting the capture of a free piece with check is,
psychologically, immensely difficult. While this is undoubtedly true, it also
is a winning idea here! However, one can hardly blame Paikidze for missing the
win, mostly because the killer shot is ridiculous:} 26. Bxd5+ Kh7 27. Qf1 Nxf2+
28. Kg2 Rxa5 $3 (28... f4 {is also winning, but not nearly as entertaining.})
29. Rxa5 Qd8 {White can resign, since a5, d5, and g5 are all under attack. A
superb triple attack!}) 26. Nb3 Nxg2 (26... Nd3 $1 {was again winning! White's
queen does her no favors.} 27. cxd3 (27. Qd2 Nxf2+ 28. Qxf2 f4) 27... Nxg2 28.
Qf1 Bxf2 29. Qxf2 Ne3 {is over.}) 27. Rxg2 f4 28. Qc3 $1 {A good defensive
find by Krush, who did all she could to stay in the game. Black is still much
better, but she needs to tread carefully.} Nc4 (28... Be3 29. Qxc8 Rexc8 {
despite being down a pawn in an ending, Black is cruising. Saving the game
will be very difficult for White, who must contend with that quickly advancing
f-pawn. It seems that, at very best, White will have to sacrifice her rook for
a piece and the pawn, after which she'll face an uphill battle surviving. For
instance, the ending after} 30. Bd2 Rxa1+ 31. Nxa1 f3 32. Bxe3 fxg2+ 33. Kxg2
Kf7 {teeters somewhere in between winning for Black and White fighting tooth
and nail (and I mean after one of the worst struggles) to gain a half point. I
think Black wins most of the time.}) 29. Qf3 Qf5 30. Nxc5 (30. Qd3 {doesn't
work out for White} Qxd3 31. cxd3 Rxa5 $1 {the only winning move, and what a
shot it is!} 32. Nxa5 (32. Rxa5 f3 33. Ra6 (33. dxc4 Re1+ 34. Kh2 Bd6+ 35. Rg3
Re2+ 36. Kh1 Bxg3 37. Ra1 bxc4 {is completely winning.}) 33... fxg2+ 34. Kxg2
Ne3+ 35. Kf3 Bf8 {Black ends the complications with a simple reality: she's up
a piece for just two pawns, and thus should be winning, despite White
retaining some drawing chances.}) 32... Nxa5 33. Rxa5 Re1+ 34. Kh2 f3 35. Rg3
Bd6 {decides matters.} 36. g6 Kf8 37. Rxb5 Ke7 38. Rb7+ Ke6 39. Rf7 Re3 {with .
..f2, followed by Bxg3 coming.}) 30... Qxc5 31. b4 Qf5 32. Rf2 Re4 $1 {Krush
had no time here, but Paikidze was calm, cool, and collected even with the
title on the line.} (32... Rf8 {is tempting, since it requires four fewer
squares for the rook to travel to protect f4. However, White survives with} 33.
Rd1 {the idea being Qd5+ will swap off queens.}) 33. Rg1 Rae8 34. Bc7 $2 {The
final straw. With time dwindling and a tough defensive task ahead, Krush had
one last chance here to put up a fight:} (34. Kh2 Re3 35. Qg4 Qe5 36. Rd1 f3+
37. Qg3 {Black remains much better, but the path to victory is uncertain.}) (
34. Rg4 Re1+ 35. Kh2 Ne3 36. Rg1 Rxg1 37. Kxg1 Qxg5+ 38. Kh2 Nd5 {at least
allows White to keep kicking, though the position is awful. The culprit is
that stupid bishop on a5, which has precisely zero moves.}) 34... Re3 35. Qxf4
Rxh3+ 36. Kg2 (36. Rh2 Qd5+ 37. Rgg2 Re1+ 38. Qf1 Rxf1# {is an amusing
checkmate, as both of White's rooks are pinned and smother the king.}) 36...
Ne3+ 37. Qxe3 Qg4+ 38. Qg3 {A sad necessity. Black scoops up the queen, and
the rest is merely a matter of precision. White's chances of holding rest on
her ability to trade a pair rooks and plant her bishop on c5.} Rxg3+ 39. Bxg3
Re3 40. Kh2 Qh5+ 41. Kg2 Qxg5 42. Kh2 {In all honesty, the win from here is
not that simple. Black is ahead a queen for a rook and bishop, and at least
one of White's queenside pawns will be taken in the near future. If White can
coordinate her rooks, she stands a chance. Unfortunately for Krush, Paikidize
had no interest in letting her back in the game.} Re6 43. Rgg2 Qh5+ (43... Rh6+
{was more direct:} 44. Kg1 Qe3 {leaves White completely out of moves. White's
rooks will need to remain together, and Black's queen simply yoyos on the
vulnerable light squares. The optimal line is actually quite instructure,
teaching us how a queen can overpower rook and bishop.} 45. c3 (45. Bf4 Qe1+
46. Rf1 Rh1+ 47. Kxh1 Qxf1+ 48. Rg1 Qxf4) 45... Rf6 46. Kh1 Qe1+ 47. Rg1 Qe4+
48. Rgg2 Qb1+ 49. Rg1 Qh7+ 50. Kg2 Qe4+ 51. Kf1 Rg6 52. Rf4 Qe3 {and White
can't keep all her pieces. Game over.}) 44. Kg1 Qd1+ 45. Rf1 Qd4+ 46. Rff2 Re1+
47. Kh2 Qd1 48. Bf4 Qh5+ 49. Kg3 Rh1 50. Rh2 Rg1+ 51. Rhg2 Rh1 52. Rh2 Qg6+ 53.
Kh3 Qe6+ 54. Kg3 {Over the past 10 moves, Paikidze has made minimal progress.
To Krush's chagrin, Black has all the time in the world, so she need not find
the quickest route to victory; she just needs to find a line that works.} Re1
55. Rhg2 Qg6+ 56. Kh2 Qe4 57. Bg5 Qxb4 {Might as well grab this pawn now. The
50-move and three-time repetition counters must be restarted, and it's not
like White has anything going for her.} 58. Bf4 Qe7 59. Kg3 Re6 ({The only
thing to be careful about is too quickly playing the move} 59... g5 {because}
60. Bxg5 {is a free pawn. Note the rook on g2 spying on the king on g8.}) 60.
Kh3 Qd7 61. Kh2 Re4 62. Kg3 (62. Bg3 {put up more resistance. It bears
repeating that Black does not really want to trade a pair of rooks, for White
will set up a fortress that appears hard to crack.}) 62... Qf5 63. Rf3 g5 64.
Bxg5 {Hoping for Qxg5+, after which Kf2 draws.} (64. Bd2 Rg4+ 65. Kf2 Rxg2+ 66.
Kxg2 Qxc2 67. Rf2 Qc5 {leads to an easy finish. White won't even be able to
get rook versus queen, since Paikidze never has to give up the g-pawn.} 68. Kf1
b4 69. Rg2 b3 70. Rxg5+ (70. Bxg5 Kf7 71. Rf2+ Qxf2+ 72. Kxf2 b2) 70... Qxg5
71. Bxg5 {is one move too slow.} b2 {The pawn promotes.}) 64... Rg4+ {With
this win, Nazi Paikidize became the deserved winner of the 2016 US Women's
Championship. Although I feel for Tatev Abrahamyan, I cant think of a more
worthy champion. From start to finish, Paikidize outplayed her opposition,
even throwing away several half points. With outstanding play, she becomes the
first champion not named Zatonskih or Krush since 2005.} (64... Qxg5+ $4 {
would have thrown away all of Paikidze's hard work, since} 65. Kh2 (65. Kf2 $4
Re2+ 66. Kxe2 Qxg2+) 65... Rh4+ 66. Rh3 Rg4 67. Rxg4 Qxg4 68. Rg3 {is a
miracle draw.}) 0-1

[Event "St Petersburg"]
[Site "St Petersburg RUS"]
[Date "1912.03.31"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alexander Alekhine"]
[Black "Grigory Levenfish"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A43"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "1912.??.??"]

1. d4 c5 {Diagram [#]} 2. d5 (2. e3) (2. c3) (2. Nf3) (2. dxc5) 2... Nf6 3. Nc3
(3. c4) (3. Nf3) (3. g3) 3... d6 4. e4 g6 5. f4 (5. Nf3) (5. Bb5+) (5. Be2)
5... Nbd7 (5... Bg7) 6. Nf3 a6 7. e5 dxe5 8. fxe5 Ng4 9. e6 Nde5 (9... fxe6 10.
dxe6 Nde5 11. Qxd8+) 10. Bf4 Nxf3+ (10... Bg7 11. h3 Nxf3+ 12. Qxf3 Ne5 13.
Bxe5) 11. gxf3 (11. Qxf3 f5) 11... Nf6 (11... Nh6 12. Qd2 Nf5 13. Nb5) 12. Bc4
fxe6 (12... Bg7 13. exf7+ Kxf7 14. Bc7 Qxc7 15. d6+) 13. dxe6 Qb6 (13... Qxd1+
14. Rxd1 Bg7 15. Bc7 O-O 16. Bb6 Ne8 17. O-O Nd6 18. Rxd6) 14. Qe2 Qxb2 15. Nb5
Qxa1+ (15... axb5 16. Bxb5+ Bd7 17. Bxd7+ Nxd7 18. exd7+ Kxd7 19. Be5 Qb4+ 20.
c3) 16. Kf2 Qxh1 17. Nc7+ Kd8 18. Qd2+ Bd7 (18... Nd7 19. exd7 Bxd7 20. Be6)
19. exd7 {Diagram [#]} Nxd7 (19... e5 20. Ne6+ Ke7 21. d8=Q+ Rxd8 22. Qxd8+ Kf7
23. Nxf8+ Kg7 24. Qe7#) (19... e6) 20. Be6 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#1"]
[Black "Removing the guard"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/5p2/4nq2/5b2/3pN3/4p3/4PPB1/3QK3 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bxe4 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#2"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2kr4/8/6b1/8/8/4p3/4P1PP/4KB1R b K - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bc2 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#3"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1k1r4/4b3/2n5/8/8/P3p2N/1P2P1PP/4KB1R b K - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Nb4 2. axb4 Bxb4# 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#4"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2krr3/2p5/8/8/7b/3R4/1PPNn2R/2BK4 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Nc3+ 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#5"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/3q1pk1/5bp1/8/8/1P3P2/2PN1P2/1R1K1R2 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "1"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Bc3 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "#6"]
[Black "Mating net"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini, Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/5pk1/5bp1/7q/8/6P1/7P/1Q3K1R b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]

{Diagram [#]} 1... Qf3+ 2. Kg1 (2. Ke1 Bc3#) 2... Bd4# 0-1

[Event "ch-USA w 2016"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.23"]
[Round "9.3"]
[White "Krush, Irina"]
[Black "Yu, Jennifer R"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A09"]
[WhiteElo "2465"]
[BlackElo "2157"]
[Annotator "Naroditsky, Daniel"]
[PlyCount "164"]
[EventDate "2016.04.14"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 c5 4. c4 d4 5. b4 cxb4 6. a3 bxa3 7. Bxa3 Nc6 8. O-O
e5 9. Bxf8 Kxf8 10. d3 g6 11. Nbd2 Kg7 12. Qa4 Qe7 13. Nb3 Bd7 14. Nfd2 h5 15.
h4 Rhc8 16. Na5 Nxa5 17. Qxa5 Bc6 18. Rfb1 b6 19. Qa3 Qb7 20. Bxc6 Qxc6 21. f3
a6 22. Qb4 Rcb8 23. Kf2 b5 24. Qa5 Nd7 25. Rc1 Qb6 26. Qb4 Qc5 27. Qa5 Qb6 28.
Qxb6 Rxb6 29. cxb5 Rxb5 30. Rc7 Nf6 31. Nc4 Ne8 32. Rc6 a5 33. Ra4 Ra7 34. Rc8
Nf6 35. Nd6 Rb4 36. Rxb4 axb4 37. Rb8 Nd5 38. Rb5 Nc3 39. Rxb4 Ra2 40. Rb7
Rxe2+ 41. Kg1 Re1+ 42. Kg2 Re2+ 43. Kf1 Re3 44. Rxf7+ Kg8 45. Rf6 Rxd3 46. Nc4
Rd1+ 47. Kg2 Kg7 48. Re6 d3 49. Rxe5 Ra1 50. Kf2 Nd1+ 51. Kg2 Ra4 52. Ne3 Kf6
53. Re8 Kf7 54. Re5 Ra2+ 55. Kf1 Nc3 56. Rc5 Ne2 57. g4 Ng3+ 58. Kg1 Re2 {
Diagram [#]} 59. Ng2 (59. Nc4 Rc2 (59... d2 60. Nxd2 Rxd2 61. Rc7+ {Diagram [#]
} Ke8 (61... Ke6 62. Rc6+ Ke5 (62... Rd6 63. Rxd6+ Kxd6 64. Kf2 Nh1+ 65. Kg2)
63. Rxg6 Kf4 64. gxh5 Kxf3 65. Rf6+ Kg4 66. Rf2) (61... Kf6 62. Rc6+ Kg7 63.
Rc7+ Kh6 64. g5#) 62. Rc8+ Kd7 (62... Ke7 63. Rc7+ (63. Rg8 Ne2+ 64. Kf2 Nc1+
65. Ke3 Rd6 66. Rh8 hxg4 67. fxg4) 63... Rd7 64. Rxd7+ Kxd7 65. Kf2 Nh1+ 66.
Kg2)) 60. Ne5+ Ke6 61. Nxd3) 59... hxg4 (59... d2 60. Rd5 Re1+ 61. Kh2 (61. Kf2
Nh1#) 61... Nf1+) 60. fxg4 d2 61. Rd5 Ne4 (61... Re1+ 62. Kf2 Nh1+ 63. Kf3
d1=Q+ 64. Rxd1 Rxd1 65. Ne3 Rd3 66. Ke2 Ra3 {Diagram [#]}) 62. Kf1 Ng3+ 63. Kg1
Ne4 64. Kf1 Nc3 (64... Ng3+) 65. Rd3 {Diagram [#]} Rxg2 (65... Kf6 66. Ne3 Rxe3
67. Rxd2 Ne4) 66. Kxg2 d1=Q 67. Rxd1 Nxd1 68. Kf3 (68. g5 Ne3+ 69. Kf3 Nf5 70.
Kg4 Ng7) 68... Nc3 69. g5 Nd5 70. Kg4 {Diagram [#]} Ne3+ 71. Kf4 Nf1 (71... Nf5
72. h5) 72. Kg4 Ne3+ 73. Kf4 Ng2+ 74. Kg4 Nxh4 75. Kxh4 Ke6 76. Kg3 Ke5 77. Kf3
Kf5 78. Kg2 Kxg5 79. Kg3 Kf5 80. Kf3 g5 81. Kg3 g4 82. Kg2 Kf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "ch-USA 2016"]
[Site "Saint Louis USA"]
[Date "2016.04.20"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Black "Onischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2664"]
[Annotator "Naroditsky, Daniel"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2016.04.14"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Bc5 6. c3 b5 7. Bc2 d5 8. a4
dxe4 9. axb5 Bg4 10. bxc6 exf3 11. gxf3 Be6 12. Ra5 Qd6 13. f4 e4 14. d4 exd3
15. Qxd3 O-O 16. Qxd6 Bxd6 17. Rd1 Bg4 18. Rd4 Bf3 19. Ba4 Rfe8 20. Be3 Ne4 21.
Bd1 Bxd1 22. Rxd1 Rab8 23. Nd2 Rxb2 24. Nxe4 Rxe4 {Diagram [#]} 25. Re5 Rxe3 (
25... Bxe5 26. Rd8#) (25... Rxe5 26. fxe5) 26. fxe3 Rb8 27. Ra5 Kf8 28. c4 1-0

[Event "US Chess Championships (Women)"]
[Site "St. Louis, MO USA"]
[Date "2016.04.24"]
[Round "10.6"]
[White "Agata Bykovtsev"]
[Black "Ashritha Eswaran"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B03"]
[WhiteElo "2219"]
[BlackElo "2225"]
[Annotator "Naroditsky, Daniel"]
[PlyCount "144"]
[EventDate "2016.04.14"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 d6 5. exd6 exd6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Be3 O-O 8.
Bd3 Bf6 9. Nge2 Bg4 10. Qc2 g6 11. h3 Be6 12. d5 Bd7 13. Ne4 Bg7 14. h4 Na6 15.
Qd2 f5 16. Ng5 Nc5 17. Bxc5 dxc5 18. Nf4 Re8+ 19. Kf1 Qf6 20. Nge6 Bxe6 21.
Nxe6 Re7 22. Re1 Rae8 23. Re2 Na4 24. Nxc7 Rxe2 25. Bxe2 Rc8 26. d6 Nb6 27. Rh3
Rd8 28. Nd5 Qxd6 29. b3 Qe5 30. Re3 Qh2 31. Rh3 Qe5 32. Rd3 Qh2 33. Rh3 Qd6 34.
h5 Nxd5 35. cxd5 Qe5 36. hxg6 hxg6 37. g3 Kf8 38. Bf3 b5 39. Qa5 Qb8 40. Kg2
Qb6 41. Qd2 c4 42. Qb4+ Qd6 43. Qxb5 c3 44. Qe2 Re8 45. Qc2 Qa3 46. Rh1 Qb2 47.
Qd3 Qd2 48. Qxd2 cxd2 49. Rd1 Bc3 50. g4 f4 51. g5 Re5 52. Kh3 Rxg5 53. Be4 Ke7
54. Kh4 Re5 55. Bxg6 Re2 56. f3 Re1 57. Bc2 Kd6 58. Kg4 Kxd5 59. Kxf4 Kd4 60.
a3 {Diagram [#]} Ba5 61. b4 Bc7+ 62. Kf5 Ke3 63. a4 Ke2 64. Rxd2+ Kxd2 65. Be4
Kc3 66. b5 Kb4 67. Bc6 Bb6 68. f4 Kxa4 69. Kf6 Bd4+ 70. Kg5 Ka5 71. f5 Rb1 72.
Kf4 Rxb5 0-1

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "GM Walter Browne"]
[Black "Dr. Allen Van Gelder"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[Annotator "Van Gelder, Allen"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/3k4/2n1p1p1/4PpPp/2PP1P1P/1p2K3/3B4/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "18"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{Diagram [#]} 1. Bc3 Nb4 2. Kd2 Nc2 3. Bb2 (3. Kd3 Kc6 4. Bd2 Nxd4) (3. d5 Na3
4. Kd3 Nc2 5. Bb2 Ne1+ 6. Ke2 Ng2 7. Kf3 Ne1+) 3... Kc6 4. Kc3 Ne1 5. Kxb3 (5.
Kd2) 5... Ng2 6. Bc1 Nxh4 7. Kc3 Nf3 8. Kd3 (8. Be3 h4 9. Bf2 h3 10. Bg3 h2 11.
Bxh2 Nxh2) 8... h4 9. Ke3 Nxd4 1/2-1/2

