[Event "La Habana (ol) 2/533"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1966.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Malich, Burkhard"]
[Black "Matanovic, Aleksandar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[Annotator "Hartmann,John"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1966.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. e3 Nd7 8. Nxd5
exd5 9. Bd3 Bd6 10. O-O O-O 11. b4 Qe7 12. Qc2 g6 13. Bb5 a5 14. Bd2 axb4 15.
axb4 Nf6 16. Bc6 Bxc6 17. Qxc6 Qe8 18. Qxe8 Rfxe8 19. Rfc1 Ne4 20. Be1 f6 21.
g3 Kf7 22. Kg2 Ke6 23. Ng1 f5 24. Ne2 Kd7 25. h3 h5 26. h4 Rxa1 27. Rxa1 Kc6
28. f3 Nf6 29. Kf2 Rc8 30. Nc1 Kb5 31. Nd3 Re8 32. Ke2 Ng8 33. Nc1 Ne7 34. Na2
Kc6 35. Nc1 {[#]} f4 $1 36. exf4 Nf5+ 37. Kf2 Nxd4 38. Bc3 Nc2 39. Rb1 d4 40.
Bd2 Na3 41. Ra1 Nc4 42. Be1 Nb2 43. Bd2 Kd5 44. Ra2 Nd1+ 0-1

[Event "5th Prague Masters 2023"]
[Site "Prague CZE"]
[Date "2023.06.23"]
[Round "3.5"]
[White "Robson, R."]
[Black "Gelfand, B."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "2689"]
[BlackElo "2668"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2023.06.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CZE"]
[EventCategory "18"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 Bb7 9. Nd6+ $5 {A very rare move, almost never played before Robson chose
it here. Since then he has played this idea twice more - once by transposition
- and has an overall score of 2.5/3 with it!} Bxd6 10. exd6 c5 11. c4 Nb4 12.
a3 Nc6 13. Be3 Qf6 14. Qd2 Rb8 15. Bxc5 Qe5+ 16. Be3 Ba6 17. Rb1 Rb3 18. Bd3
O-O 19. Bc2 Rfb8 20. Bxb3 Rxb3 21. Rc1 Rxb2 22. Qc3 Qxc3+ 23. Rxc3 {[#] White
is up the Exchange, but has poor pawns and worse pieces. It is instructive to
see how Robson soaks up the pressure and makes the material count.} f6 24. O-O
Kf7 25. h3 h5 26. f4 Kg6 27. Rf2 Rb1+ 28. Kh2 h4 29. Bc1 Kf5 30. Rb2 Rxb2 31.
Bxb2 Kxf4 32. g3+ Kf5 33. gxh4 Kg6 34. Bc1 e5 35. c5 Be2 36. Rb3 Kf7 37. Rb7
Ke6 38. Rc7 Bh5 39. Rc8 Kd5 40. Rg8 g6 41. Rg7 Kxc5 42. Rxd7 Kd5 43. Be3 Ke6
44. Rb7 Kxd6 45. Bxa7 f5 46. a4 f4 47. Bb6 Ke6 48. a5 Be2 49. Bc7 Kd5 50. Rb6
Kc5 51. a6 Bd3 52. Kg1 e4 53. a7 Nxa7 54. Rxg6 e3 55. Rg5+ Kc4 56. Bxf4 e2 57.
Kf2 Nc6 58. h5 Nd4 59. Bd2 Be4 60. Ke3 1-0

[Event "Foisor Memorial Rapid"]
[Site "Timisoara"]
[Date "2023.08.06"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Niemann, Hans Moke"]
[Black "Iordachescu, Viorel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C70"]
[WhiteElo "2577"]
[BlackElo "2498"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[EventCountry "ROU"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nge7 5. Nc3 g6 6. h4 h6 7. d4 exd4 8. Nxd4
Bg7 9. Be3 Ne5 10. Bb3 d6 11. a4 Ng4 12. Bf4 Nc6 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Qe2 O-O 15.
Bg3 h5 16. O-O-O Rb8 17. f4 Qe8 18. Rhe1 Be6 19. Bxe6 Qxe6 20. e5 dxe5 21. fxe5
Rb4 22. b3 Rfb8 23. Ne4 Qe7 24. Nc3 Bh6+ 25. Kb2 Ne3 26. Rd3 Nc4+ 27. Ka1 R4b7
28. Nb1 Nb6 29. e6 Nd5 30. exf7+ Qxf7 31. Rf3 Bg7+ 32. Be5 Bxe5+ 33. Qxe5 Qg7
34. Na3 Qxe5+ 35. Rxe5 Rf8 36. Rxf8+ Kxf8 37. Nc4 Kf7 38. Rg5 Kf6 39. Ne5 Ne7
40. Nd7+ Kf7 41. Nc5 Rb4 42. Nxa6 Rxh4 43. Nxc7 Nf5 44. a5 Kf6 45. a6 Rd4 46.
a7 Rd8 47. b4 Rc8 48. Rxf5+ gxf5 49. c4 f4 50. b5 f3 51. gxf3 h4 52. b6 h3 53.
b7 h2 54. bxc8=Q h1=Q+ 55. Ka2 Qg2+ 56. Ka3 Qxf3+ 57. Kb4 1-0

[Event "Wch Rapid"]
[Site "Almaty"]
[Date "2022.12.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A01"]
[WhiteElo "2834"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2022.12.26"]
[EventType "swiss (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "13"]
[EventCountry "KAZ"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. b3 e5 2. Bb2 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. c4 O-O 6. d3 Re8 7. a3 a5 8. Be2
Bf8 9. O-O d5 10. cxd5 Nxd5 11. Nbd2 f6 12. Qc2 Bf5 13. Rfe1 Bg6 14. g4 Qd7 15.
Kh1 Rad8 16. Ne4 Kh8 17. Rad1 Bf7 18. Rg1 Nb6 19. Rg3 a4 20. bxa4 Na5 21. Rdg1
Bd5 22. g5 f5 23. Nc3 Bc6 24. e4 Nxa4 25. Nxa4 Bxa4 26. Qc3 Nc6 27. g6 Nd4 28.
Ng5 Nxe2 29. Nf7+ {[#]} Qxf7 30. gxf7 Nxc3 31. fxe8=Q Bxe8 32. Bxc3 Bg6 33.
exf5 Bxf5 34. Bxe5 Bxd3 35. Rxg7 1-0

[Event "Dortmund SuperGM"]
[Site "Dortmund"]
[Date "2001.07.12"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2730"]
[BlackElo "2744"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2001.07.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "21"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Ne5 f6 12. Nf3 Kh8 13. cxd5 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nxd5
15. Bd3 c5 16. c4 Nb4 17. d5 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 Bf7 19. Bf4 Bd6 20. Bxd6 Qxd6 21.
Nh4 b5 22. cxb5 Qxd5 23. Qxd5 Bxd5 24. Rfc1 Rfd8 25. Rxc5 Bxa2 26. h3 Bf7 27.
Nf5 Rd5 28. Rxd5 Bxd5 29. Ra5 g6 30. Nd4 Bb7 31. Ne6 h5 32. Nc5 Rb8 33. Nd7 Ra8
34. Nxf6 a6 35. bxa6 Rxa6 36. Rxa6 Bxa6 {[#]} 37. h4 Kg7 38. Ne4 Kf7 39. Kh2
Bd3 40. f3 Bf1 41. Kg3 Ke6 42. Nd2 Bd3 43. Kf4 Kf6 44. Ne4+ Kf7 45. Kg5 Bf1 46.
g3 Be2 47. Nd2 Kg7 48. f4 Bd1 49. Nc4 {[#]} (49. Nc4 Bc2 50. Ne3 Be4 51. f5
gxf5 52. Nxf5+ Kh7 53. Ne3) 1-0

[Event "Gibraltar Masters 16th"]
[Site "Caleta"]
[Date "2018.02.01"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Le, Quang Liem"]
[Black "Dubov, Daniil"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2737"]
[BlackElo "2694"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2018.01.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "GGB"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Nc3 e5 6. d3 Nge7 7. Bc4 O-O 8. a3
d6 9. h3 h6 10. b4 Kh7 11. bxc5 dxc5 12. Rb1 b6 13. Nd5 Be6 14. Nxe7 Qxe7 15.
Bd5 Qd6 16. c4 Rab8 17. Bb2 Bd7 18. Bc3 Ne7 19. Qd2 g5 20. Rfe1 Ng6 21. Nh2 Nf4
22. Re3 h5 23. Qd1 Qg6 24. Rg3 f6 25. Bd2 Bh6 26. a4 Qe8 27. Ra1 a5 28. Nf1 Rd8
29. Ra3 Bc8 30. Ne3 Rd6 31. Rf3 Bd7 32. g4 Rh8 33. Rg3 Bf8 34. Nf5 Bxf5 35.
gxf5 h4 36. Re3 Qh5 37. Qxh5+ Nxh5 38. Rb3 Be7 39. Re1 Rc8 40. Kg2 Bd8 41. Kf3
Kh6 42. Reb1 Bc7 43. Rb5 Bd8 44. Kg4 Bc7 {[#]} 45. d4 exd4 (45... cxd4 46. c5
bxc5 47. Rxc5) 46. e5 Rdd8 47. Rxb6 Bxb6 48. Rxb6 Nf4 49. Rxf6+ Kg7 50. Bxf4
gxf4 51. Kxf4 d3 52. Ke3 Rb8 53. Rg6+ Kh7 54. e6 Rg8 55. Rxg8 1-0

[Event "World op"]
[Site "Philadelphia"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Popovych, Orest"]
[Black "Lane, Gary William"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C30"]
[WhiteElo "2310"]
[BlackElo "2395"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/1pP2ppp/8/1p2P3/2BR1P2/2r2N2/6PP/6K1 w - - 0 29"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "1988.06.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 29. Nd2 Rxc4 30. Nxc4 bxc4 31. Rd8 1-0

[Event "Marshall op"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1979.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Popovych, Orest"]
[Black "Diesen, Mark C"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2365"]
[BlackElo "2460"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1rb3k1/2r4p/p5p1/2q1p1P1/np2P3/3B4/PPP1N2Q/K2R3R w - - 0 31"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "1979.03.??"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "10"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 31. Bc4+ Kf8 (31... Qxc4 32. Rd8+) 32. Rd8+ Ke7 33. Rd5 (33. Qxh7+) 1-0

[Event "Atlantic City US op"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1972.08.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Durrant, Edward"]
[Black "Popovych, O."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B93"]
[BlackElo "2415"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/8/1K6/5p2/4b1B1/2k5/7r/4R3 b - - 0 49"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "1972.08.13"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 49... Rh6+ 50. Kc7 fxg4 51. Rxe4 Rg6 {source: Spence, 73rd Annual U.S.
Open Chess Championship, # 26} 0-1

[Event "US Open-58"]
[Site "Cleveland"]
[Date "1957.08.11"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Popovych, Orest"]
[Black "O'Keefe, Jack"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B67"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4k2r/r2b1p1p/1qnQp3/p5B1/2R2P2/1Pp5/P1P1B1PP/1K5R w k - 0 21"]
[PlyCount "1"]
[EventDate "1957.08.05"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 21. Rd1 (21. Rxc6 Bxc6 22. Bf3 (22. Bb5)) 1-0

[Event "Reggio Emilia B 1985/86"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sartori, S."]
[Black "Popovych, O."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E91"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rrk/p5b1/2pp3p/8/1NPPRp1q/5B1b/P2Q1PP1/3R2K1 b - - 0 26"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 26... Be5 27. dxe5 (27. Qe2 Bxg2 28. Bxg2 Rxg2+ 29. Kxg2 Rg8+) 27...
Rxg2+ 28. Bxg2 Bxg2 29. f3 Bxf3 0-1

[Event "US Open-68"]
[Site "Atlanta"]
[Date "1967.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Popovych, Orest"]
[Black "Jacobs, John N"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B93"]
[Annotator "Soltis"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4r2/1bqn1pkp/pp4p1/4p1Nn/P3P2Q/2NB4/1PP3PP/R4RK1 w - - 0 17"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "1967.08.13"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 17. Rxf7+ Kg8 (17... Rxf7 18. Ne6+) 18. Rg7+ Kh8 19. Rxh7+ Kg8 20. Rg7+
Kh8 21. Rxg6 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "01 Passive Defense"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tatev"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1k4r1/7R/KP6/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "3"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 1. b7 ({A check doesn't help: if} 1. Rb7+ Ka8 2. Ra7+ Kb8 {and now if} 3.
b7 $4 Rg6+ {wins the rook.}) 1... Rg6+ 2. Kb5 {Black can either keep checking
the king or simply wait on the sixth rank. White can't make progress with the
knight's pawn.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "02 Passive Defense"]
[Black "Loss"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tatev"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1k4r1/7R/1KP5/8/8/8/8/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 1. Rb7+ {The additional file gives White an extra option.} Kc8 ({Here
running to the corner doesn't help:} 1... Ka8 2. Ra7+ Kb8 3. c7+ Kc8 4. Ra8+
Kd7 5. Rxg8 $18) 2. Ra7 {Threatening checkmate from the other side.} Kb8 3. c7+
Kc8 4. Ra8+ {Winning the rook. Two takeaways: (1) this is a typical pattern,
so know it; (2) passive defense does not work against bishop or central pawns.
In order to defend here, Black would need the rook to check the white king
from behind.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "03"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tatev"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "R7/P5k1/6P1/3K4/8/8/8/r7 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "11"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#] [#] All Black has to do here is wait behind the pawn along the a-file
while not moving the king. This position is also drawn if White's extra pawn
is on the h-file, when the black king would simply stand on h7 and the rook
would shift up and down the a-file. As long as Black has the g7 and h7 squares
available for the king, he is safe.} 1... Ra2 ({Remember the typical mistake} 
1... Kxg6 $4 {-- now the white rook moves off a8 with check, and wins with} 2.
Rg8+ Kf7 3. a8=Q $18) 2. Kc6 {White tries to have the king defend the pawn,
allowing the rook to move and the pawn to queen. But Black can thwart that
plan.} Ra1 {Continuing to mark time, far from the black king.} ({Losing is} 
2... Ra6+ $4 3. Kb7 {as Black must be able to check the king when it touches
the pawn. Now after} Ra1 4. Rb8 Rb1+ 5. Kc6 Rc1+ 6. Kd5 {the king will zigzag
towards the rook and promote the a-pawn when Black runs out of checks.}) 3. Kb7
Rb1+ {As soon as the king defends the pawn, freeing the rook, Black needs to
deliver a check, separate the king from the pawn.} 4. Ka6 Ra1+ 5. Kb6 Rb1+ 6.
Kc5 Ra1 {And so on.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "04"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tatev"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "R7/P5k1/8/8/5pK1/6P1/8/r7 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 1. gxf4 $1 {Choosing an f-pawn over a g-pawn.} ({If} 1. Kxf4 {we use our
knowledge of the above position and hold the draw.}) 1... Ra2 $2 ({Pinning the
pawn with} 1... Ra4 {only postpones the inevitable, as the king will zigzag
closer to the black rook. For example,} 2. Kf3 Ra3+ 3. Ke4 Ra4+ 4. Kd3 {
and so forth. The f4-pawn is untouchable, of course: if} Rxf4 $2 5. Rb8) 2. f5
Ra1 3. f6+ {Now the black king is driven from the safe g7- and h7-squares.} Kf7
{Now we see another typical motif.} ({If} 3... Kxf6 4. Rf8+ {and wins.}) 4. Rh8
Rxa7 5. Rh7+ {with a winning skewer or x-ray.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "05 Philidor Defense"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tatev"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4k3/R7/8/3KP3/8/8/8/7r b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#] White's idea is to play Kd5-d6, followed by Ra8-a8+, e5-e6 and promote
the pawn. But Black can shut everything down with the following.} 1... Rh6 $1 {
By cutting the king off on the sixth rank, Black stops White from advancing
and using the pawn as a shield from checks.} ({It's useful to see why the
natural} 1... Rd1+ {fails. After} 2. Ke6 Kf8 3. Ra8+ Kg7 4. Ke7 {clears the
path for the pawn. Black can look for activity wtih} Rb1 5. e6 Rb7+ {but
because the distance between the king and rook is only two squares / files,
the checks will soon run out, i.e.,} 6. Kd6 Rb6+ 7. Kd7 Rb7+ 8. Kc6 Rb1 9. e7 {
.}) 2. e6 ({If White tries to pass the move to Black, the rook simply shifts
on the sixth:} 2. Rb7 Rg6 3. Rh7 Ra6 {etc.}) 2... Rh1 {Now that the pawn has
advanced, Black returns to active defense with checks from behind. The white
king can no longer hide behind the pawn.} 3. Kd6 Rd1+ 4. Ke5 Re1+ {With an
easy draw.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "06 Lucena"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "*"]
[Annotator "Tatev"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1K6/1P1k4/8/8/8/8/r7/2R5 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#] The white king is boxed in: the rook is covering the a-file and the black
king is covering the c-file. But White can drive it away.} 1. Rd1+ Ke6 {
Having forced the king away from the pawn, White still needs a way to give the
king cover from the active black rook. The way to do this is by "building a
bridge."} 2. Rd4 {Here the rook can serve as a shield from checks.} ({Trying
to win straightforwardly with} 2. Kc7 {fails as the rook can check the king
indefinitely, i.e.,} Rc2+ 3. Kb6 Rb2+ 4. Kc6 Rc2+ 5. Kb5 Rb2+ {and the king
cannot separate from the pawn. (Note that the black rook is more than three
squares / ranks from the whtie king!) If this happens in your game, don't
worry: you can always go back to b8 and restart the winning method!}) 2... Ra1
({If Black attacks the rook with} 2... Ke5 {White can play} 3. Rc4 {and grab
control of the c-file. The winning method now is} Kd5 4. Rc1 Rf2 5. Ra1 $1 {
taking control of the a-file. The king will go to a8 and the pawn will promote.
}) 3. Kc7 Rc1+ 4. Kb6 Rb1+ 5. Kc6 Rc1+ (5... Ke5 6. Rd5+ Ke4 7. Rb5) 6. Kb5
Rb1+ 7. Rb4 {The bridge is built, and the rook blocks the checks. Promotion
cannot be stopped.} *

[Event "American Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis, United States"]
[Date "2023.03.18"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Abrahamyan, Tatev"]
[Black "Krush, Irina"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2403"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{I like this game for a number of reasons, but primary among them is this:
both players stuck to their repertoires despite the match situation, which was
a must-win for Abrahamyan and a 'draw is ok' for Krush.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3.
d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 b5 {An uncommon choice by Krush. This line was
considered risky when I became a GM, but thanks to modern engines, Black is
considered safe here. It might also be seen as a good psychological choice by
Krush, as it plays against Tatev's usual repertoire choices.} 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O
Nc6 8. Nxc6 Bxc6 9. a4 ({More critical is} 9. Re1 $5 {, but one cannot play
this without prior preparation. Black has three main options:} Ne7 (9... Bc5
10. Qh5) (9... Qb8 {is quite playable, with Black getting counterplay after}
10. a4 b4 11. Nd5 Bd6 12. Qh5 Nf6 13. Nxf6+ gxf6 14. b3 Be5 15. Rb1 Rg8 16. g3
Bd4) 10. Bf1 $1 (10. Qh5 Ng6 11. a4 bxa4 {was seen in Sevian - Smirin, Saint
Louis 2022.} (11... Bb4 {is also good.})) 10... Ng6 11. Be3 f6 12. Nd5 Kf7 13.
c4 $1 {with advantage to White.}) 9... b4 10. Nb1 $1 {Correct! The knight is
heading to c4 via the d2-square.} Bc5 11. Nd2 Ne7 $6 ({Here} 11... Qh4 $1 {
is necessary to the engines, but has not been tested yet. Play might continue}
12. Nf3 ({if} 12. Nc4 Nf6 {and Black plays for an attack with ...h7-h5 and ...
Nf6-g4, or she can castle and prepare the ...d7-d5 break.}) 12... Qh5 13. Qe2
Nf6 14. a5 O-O 15. h3 h6 16. Re1 d6 17. Bd2 Rfb8 18. Qf1 Nd7 $1 {with
counterplay.}) 12. Nb3 ({I think} 12. Qh5 Ba7 13. Nc4 O-O 14. Bd2 {would have
been more promising.}) 12... Bd6 13. Qe2 ({Here} 13. Qh5 {could still give
chances for White. Now the move Nb3-a5 is also an option for White. Instead
Abrahamyan sticks to the traditional setup.}) 13... Ng6 14. f4 O-O 15. a5 $6 {
[#] Thematic, but ill-timed.} ({Instead} 15. g3 {was necessary, covering the
f4-square.}) 15... Qb8 $2 {Also thematic, but ill-timed!} ({The right move was
} 15... e5 $1 {, when Black turns the tables after} 16. f5 Nf4 17. Qf3 Nxd3 18.
cxd3 Bb5 {and she plays for the win. Her plans include ...f7-f6, ending any
hopes of a kingside attack, followed by putting a rook on c8 and rerouting the
dark-squared bishop to the a7-g1 diagonal, preparing ...d7-d5.}) 16. e5 $2 {
A mistake that is not immediately evident. One can see that White might not
get much after ...Bd6-e7 and ...d7-d6, but I was really surprised to see the
engines give White an advantage after} (16. g3 Re8 17. h4 {and White is much
better after continuing to improve her pieces. Perhaps an expert in this
position would be able to note the weaknesses in Black's camp, but for me,
it's another example of how incredibly nuanced our game can be in all types of
positions! All-too-often the window of good options is narrow for both sides.})
16... Be7 17. Be3 d6 18. exd6 Bxd6 19. Qh5 {With her advantage gone, and
desperate for a win, Abrahamyan begins to take risks.} Qb7 20. Rf2 Be4 21. Rd1
Be7 22. Bxe4 ({The stronger} 22. Nc5 Bxc5 23. Bxc5 Rfe8 24. Bxe4 Qxe4 25. Rd4
Qe1+ 26. Rf1 Qe3+ 27. Kh1 {was surely uncomfortable for Black, but this was
hard to see!}) 22... Qxe4 23. Qf3 Qxf3 24. Rxf3 Bf6 25. Bd4 Rfd8 26. g3 e5 27.
fxe5 Nxe5 28. Rff1 Rac8 29. c3 bxc3 30. bxc3 Rd5 31. Bxe5 $2 {With time
pressure approaching, this is a mistake. Now White's queenside falls apart.} ({
Instead White would have headed for a draw with} 31. Bb6 Rxd1 32. Rxd1 Rxc3 33.
Nc5 Rc2 34. Rd5 {.}) 31... Rxe5 32. Rf3 ({White could have perhaps saved the
game (but not the match) with} 32. Rd6 $3 Re6 33. Rfd1 Kf8 34. Rxe6 fxe6 35.
Nd4 Ke7 36. Re1 Kd7 $1 37. Kf2 e5 38. Nc2 $1 Rxc3 39. Nb4 {, winning the
a-pawn and substantially reducing Black's winning chances.}) 32... Rb5 $6 {
Rushing a bit.} ({The prophylactic} 32... h6 $1 {was better, with ...Re5-b5 to
follow.}) 33. Nd4 $2 {Missing her last chance to stay in the game.} ({Here} 33.
c4 Rxc4 34. Rd6 h5 35. Rxa6 Ra4 {is hard to play over-the-board, but White has
good drawing chances with Ra6-b6, h2-h4, and Kg1-g2 to come. For example, the
position is equal after} 36. h4 Be5 37. Rb6 Rxb6 38. axb6 Rb4 39. Kg2 Rxb6 40.
Nc1 {.}) 33... Rxa5 34. Nf5 h5 35. Rd7 Rxc3 36. Nh6+ Kh7 37. Rxc3 Bxc3 38. Nxf7
Bf6 {The a-pawn is the key factor in Black's advantage.} 39. h4 Kg6 40. Kg2
Ra2+ 41. Kh3 Re2 42. Ra7 Re7 $1 {Good technique! Make it simple!} 43. Nh8+ Kh7
44. Ra8 Rd7 45. Kg2 Rd8 46. Rxd8 Bxd8 47. Nf7 Bc7 48. Ng5+ Kg6 49. Ne6 Bd6 50.
Kf3 a5 51. g4 hxg4+ 52. Kxg4 a4 {A good win for Krush. Abrahamyan had her
share of chances, but Black's opening choice worked out well.} 0-1

[Event "American Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis, United States"]
[Date "2023.03.20"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Dominguez, Leinier"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2811"]
[BlackElo "2855"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{With only two decisive classical games, both won by the eventual winner,
Hikaru Nakamura, I chose the one with greater strategic intrigue. It's
interesting to see how Nakamura's mastery of shorter time controls pushes his
opponents to really go for it with White in classical games.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3
Nc6 {A bit of a surprise. Nakamura usually opts for the Najdorf, but ok, the
Sveshnikov is not an uncommon choice among the world's elite...} 3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 e5 {But instead we get the Lowenthal-Kalashnikov! This has gained
popularlity in recent years, in no small part to avoid well-tread Sveshnikov
lines like} (4... Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 {Or} (7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9.
Bxf6)) 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 ({Players interested in this opening with either
color must analyze} 6. c4 {, as engines love it immensely. Radjabov is an
expert in this line, while the rapidly improving Maghsoodloo has seen success
on the Black side with} Be6 $5 (6... g6 {is also good per the engines}) 7. N1c3
a6 8. Na3 g6 9. Nc2 Bg7 10. Be3 Nf6 (10... Rc8 11. Be2 f5 $5 {is a path that
GM Dariusz Swiercz has championed}) 11. Be2 Rc8 12. b3 O-O 13. O-O b5 $1 $132 {
and Black had counterplay in Anand-Maghsoodloo, Chess.com, 2020.}) 6... a6 7.
Na3 Be6 $5 {A slick psychological choice! I'm sure Dominguez didn't expect
this move; probably he thought Nakamura would transpose to the Sveshnikov with}
(7... Nf6 8. Bg5 {.}) 8. Nc4 Rb8 9. Nd5 Bxd5 10. exd5 Nce7 11. g3 {This is the
most common way of playing, but there are other options.} ({Stockfish is
adamant about} 11. a4 Nf6 {and now} 12. g4 $3 {, which is a lovely idea. White
is willing to lose the d5-pawn for the sake of active play on the light
squares.}) 11... b5 12. Ne3 g6 13. a4 Nf6 14. axb5 axb5 15. Bg2 Bh6 $1 {
Nakamura has outprepared his opponent. Now the position is totally balanced.}
16. O-O O-O 17. Qd3 Nd7 18. Bd2 Nc5 19. Qe2 Qc7 ({Here} 19... b4 {, securing
the knight on c5, was more solid.}) 20. b4 Nd7 21. Ra5 Bxe3 $1 {This move
shows deep understanding, and required accurate calculation.} 22. Bxe3 Nf5 23.
Ra7 Rb7 24. Rxb7 Qxb7 25. Bd2 Ra8 {[#] This is a fascinating position, and it
takes significant positional understanding to recognize that the two bishops
will not cause Black any trouble.} 26. Qd3 Ra2 27. Rd1 Nf6 28. Bg5 Kg7 29. Bh3
Nd4 30. c3 Nc2 31. Qf3 ({White would acquiese to a draw with} 31. Rd2 Ra1+ 32.
Rd1 {.}) 31... Ng8 32. Bf1 Ra3 33. Bc1 {A sign that Dominguez still plays for
the win!} Rb3 34. Qe4 $2 {A mistake, losing a pawn without gaining any
counterplay in return.} Rxc3 35. Bb2 Nf6 {It is possible that Dominguez had
forgotten about this move and was counting on} (35... Rc7 36. Bxe5+ {, which
is equal.}) 36. Qh4 $4 {And now a blunder in perpetual time pressure. (With a
time control of G/90+30, there was no move 40 safe haven available.)} Rb3 $6 ({
The stronger} 36... Rf3 37. Bc1 h5 {would have sealed the deal more quickly,
as the white queen is completely offside. For example,} 38. g4 Qc8 39. gxh5
Nxh5 {and Black wins.}) 37. Bc1 Ng8 38. Qd8 $1 Qe7 39. Qa5 Nd4 40. Be3 Nf3+ 41.
Kg2 Qf6 42. Be2 e4 43. Qxb5 {[#] Losing, but it's hard to suggest anything
else with such little time on the clock.} Qb2 $4 {Nakamura mixes up the move
order.} ({After the correct} 43... Rxe3 44. fxe3 {Black has the wonderful} Nh6
$3 {, when two knights dominate the board. Mate follows after} 45. Qa4 Ng4 46.
Qb3 Ne1+ {.}) 44. Qa6 ({White could have held with} 44. Bf4 $1 Nd4 45. Rxd4
Qxd4 46. Bxd6 {, but this is a big ask with the remaining seconds ticking away.
}) 44... Nf6 45. h3 h5 46. Kf1 Qe5 47. Kg2 Rxe3 $1 {Nakamura doesn't miss this
the second time around!} 48. fxe3 h4 49. gxh4 Qh2+ {A fine victory for the
American number one.} 0-1

[Event "American Cup Final"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.03.26"]
[Round "31.1"]
[White "So, Wesley"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2832"]
[BlackElo "2855"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi"]
[PlyCount "158"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{So didn't get anything out of the opening here, but he came very close to
creating winning chances in an instructive endgame. In the second game of the
match he blundered his queen, giving Nakamura the match and tournament victory.
} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 d6 6. O-O a6 7. Re1 Ba7 {
The most solid, if least ambitious, choice for Black.} 8. a4 O-O 9. h3 h6 10.
Nbd2 Re8 11. b4 Be6 12. Bxe6 Rxe6 13. Bb2 ({Here} 13. Qc2 Qd7 14. Rb1 b5 15.
Ra1 Ree8 16. Nf1 {, is more critical, though still totally balanced.}) 13...
Ne7 14. Nf1 Ng6 ({Black can also try} 14... Nh5 15. d4 Ng6 16. Ne3 Nf6 $1 $11 {
with equality as in Pichot-Ivanchuk, chess24.com, 2020.}) 15. Ng3 {[#]} Nh7 ({
I suspect So was strategically seeking positions after} 15... d5 16. c4 d4 17.
Bc1 {, when Black has a bad bishop on a7. For a classic example of this theme,
check out the game between Wang Hao and Malakhov (Chinese Team Championships,
2019).}) 16. d4 Ng5 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. Qg4 ({It was time to consolidate the
center with} 18. Bc1 $1 Qf6 19. Be3 {, when White can claim a slight but real
advantage.}) 18... Rae8 19. Rad1 $6 {Missing Black's threat.} Qxg4 20. hxg4
exd4 21. cxd4 d5 $1 22. Kf1 f6 ({Here} 22... dxe4 $4 23. d5 {traps the rook.})
23. f3 c6 24. exd5 cxd5 25. Rxe6 Rxe6 26. Rc1 Rc6 27. Nf5 {[#] Black is
perfectly fine, but this is an uncomfortable position in a rapid game.} Kf7 28.
b5 Rxc1+ 29. Bxc1 axb5 30. axb5 Nf8 $2 {A mistake, but a minor one.} ({Black
is fully equal after} 30... Bb8 31. Ba3 Nf8 32. Bd6 Bxd6 33. Nxd6+ Ke7 34. Nxb7
Ne6 {.}) 31. Nd6+ Ke6 {[#]} 32. Nxb7 $6 ({The improving} 32. Ba3 {was more
critical. Black has to make a lot of good moves to save this.} Kd7 $1 33. Nxb7
Ne6 34. Nc5+ Bxc5 35. Bxc5 {and here Black only holds by a miracle after} (35.
dxc5 Nd4 $1 36. b6 Kc6 {and the blockade should suffice for a draw}) 35... g6 (
35... Kc7 36. Kf2 {and now} g6 {is forced} (36... Kd7 $2 37. Ke3 {and f3-f4-f5
is winning})) 36. Ke2 h5 37. gxh5 gxh5 38. Kf2 f5 39. Kg3 f4+ $1 {and now
Kg3-h4 loses to ...Ne6xc5!}) 32... Bxd4 33. Ba3 Ng6 {From here, Nakamura
showed perfect technique in holding the position.} 34. Nd6 Bb2 35. Bb4 Bc3 36.
Ba3 Bb2 37. Bc5 Bd4 38. Nb7 Bxc5 39. Nxc5+ Kd6 40. b6 Ne5 41. b7 Kc7 42. Kf2 d4
43. Ke2 g6 44. Kd2 h5 45. gxh5 gxh5 46. Ke2 Ng6 47. Kf2 h4 48. Ne6+ Kxb7 49.
Nxd4 Kc7 50. Ke3 Kd6 51. Ke4 Ke7 52. Kf5 Kf7 53. Kg4 Ne5+ 54. Kxh4 Kg6 55. Kg3
Nd3 56. Kg4 Ne5+ 57. Kf4 Nd3+ 58. Ke3 Ne5 59. Ke4 Nd7 60. Ne6 Nb6 61. Nf4+ Kg5
62. Ne6+ Kg6 63. Nf4+ Kg5 64. Nd5 Nd7 65. Ne3 Nc5+ 66. Kd5 Nd3 67. g3 Kg6 68.
f4 Nf2 69. Ke6 Ne4 70. Nf1 Nc5+ 71. Kd5 Nd7 72. Ne3 Nb6+ 73. Ke6 Na4 74. Nd5
Nc5+ 75. Ke7 Ne4 76. g4 f5 77. g5 Nxg5 78. fxg5 f4 79. Nxf4+ Kxg5 1/2-1/2

[Event "American Cup"]
[Site "Saint Louis, United States"]
[Date "2023.03.22"]
[Round "6.1"]
[White "Paikidze, Nazi"]
[Black "Tokhirjonova, Gulrukhbegim"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2403"]
[BlackElo "2417"]
[Annotator "Moradiabadi"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{This game caught my eye because of the strategic battle on display: if Black
manages to play ...c6-c5, she achieves complete equality. For her part, White
can secure a large advantage by preventing the black pawn advance. It's an
entertaining and educational battle.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 Be7 5.
Bg2 O-O 6. Nc3 $5 {Provoking Black's next move.} dxc4 7. Ne5 c6 $6 ({Here} 7...
Qd6 $1 8. Nxc4 Qa6 9. Ne5 Rd8 {appears to be the best response for Black.} 10.
Qc2 $1 Nbd7 (10... Rxd4 {is possible too.}) 11. Bf4 {was seen in Svane-Deac,
Dortmund 2022, and here} Nd5 {is an interesting option.}) 8. Nxc4 b5 9. Ne5 {
[#]} Qb6 $6 {Black is already in trouble.} ({After} 9... Bb7 10. O-O Qc8 (10...
Qb6 11. Be3) 11. Be3 Nbd7 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Qc2 Rac8 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 h6
16. Rac1 {White is better because Black cannot disentangle her pieces with ...
c6-c5 for the foreseeable future.}) 10. O-O Rd8 11. Qc2 $5 ({I think} 11. Be3
$1 {would have ensured a more promising advantage for White after} Nd5 12. Rc1
Bb7 13. Ne4 Nd7 14. Nxd7 Rxd7 15. Nc5 Bxc5 16. Rxc5 {. Black's light-squared
bishop is not going to see the light of the day anytime soon!}) 11... Bb7 12.
Rd1 $2 {Not concrete enough - now Black could equalize.} ({Here} 12. Be3 {
would have transposed to the line I suggested above.}) 12... Na6 {Good enough
but it leaves the burden of proof on Black.} ({Mamedyarov equalized with} 12...
Nbd7 {against So, i.e.,} 13. Be3 Nd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Rac1 Rac8 16. Qd3 b4 {
(So-Mamedyarov, Berlin 2018).}) 13. e3 Rac8 ({More principled was} 13... Nd7 {
, here or on the next move. Black needs to take ...c6-c5 seriously!}) 14. Qe2
Nb4 $6 15. Bd2 a6 $2 ({This was the last moment for} 15... c5 {, and while it
wasn't enough for equality anymore, it would have led to a much more
comfortable game than occured over-the-board! After} 16. Bxb7 Qxb7 17. Qxb5 Qa8
$1 18. dxc5 Nc2 19. Rac1 Rxc5 20. Qa4 Rxe5 21. Qxc2 (21. Rxc2 {is probably
more accurate but a bit artificial feeling}) 21... h5 {Black is down a pawn ,
but she has practical chances.}) 16. a3 $6 {This only helps Black. White
should have started with a thematic maneuver that puts an end to Black's hope
to unwind with ...c6-c5:} (16. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 (16... c5 $2 {does not work because
of} 17. dxc5) 17. Bxe4 g6 (17... c5 $2 {loses to the Greek gift} 18. Bxh7+) 18.
Qf3 f5 19. Bxb4 Bxb4 20. Rac1 $1 {and now taking the bishop with} fxe4 {
fails to} 21. Qf7+ Kh8 22. Qf6+ Kg8 23. Qxe6+ Kg7 24. Qf7+ Kh8 25. Qf6+ Kg8 26.
d5 $1 {.}) 16... Nbd5 17. Ne4 $6 {A bit untimely in this particular position.}
a5 $2 {Back to being losing.} ({Here Black must try} 17... Nxe4 18. Bxe4 c5 $1
{and now} 19. Bxh7+ Kxh7 {only leads to a perpetual, something I missed in my
initial review of the game. Not an easy line to see!}) 18. Ng5 (18. Nc5 {
is also strong.}) 18... Rf8 19. e4 Nc7 20. Be3 c5 {[#]} 21. Rac1 $2 {Already
in time pressure and with a lot at stake, Paikidze misses a cute tactic.} ({
After} 21. dxc5 $1 Bxc5 22. Bxc5 Qxc5 23. Rac1 Qb6 ({one key point is that} 
23... Qxe5 {is met with} 24. f4 {, trapping the queen in the middle of the
board!}) 24. Rc2 h6 25. Ngxf7 Rxf7 26. Nxf7 Kxf7 27. e5 Nfd5 28. Qg4 {and
White has a crushing attack, although seeing all of this in a rapid game is
difficult indeed.}) 21... Na6 ({Here} 21... c4 {was a better practical
decision, but White is still better after} 22. a4 {.}) 22. d5 $6 {Thematic ,
but again, untimely!} (22. Ngxf7 $1 {is even more powerful here. Play continues
} Rxf7 23. dxc5 Bxc5 24. Nxf7 Kxf7 25. e5 $1 {and the Black defenses fall
apart. If} Bxg2 26. exf6 Bd5 27. Qh5+ Kf8 (27... Kxf6 28. Bg5+ {is soon mate})
28. fxg7+ Kxg7 29. Bh6+ Kf6 30. Qg5+ Kf7 31. Qg7+ Ke8 32. Rxd5 $1 exd5 33. Re1+
{and mate will follow shortly.}) 22... exd5 23. exd5 Bd6 24. Nd3 $2 {Nerves!} (
{White needs to eliminate Black's kingside defenses; therefore the right move
is} 24. Ng4 $1 Ne8 (24... Nxg4 25. Qxg4 h6 26. Ne4 {is pretty hopeless; if} f5
27. Qg6 $1 fxe4 28. Bxh6 Rf7 29. Bxe4 {and wins}) 25. Bd2 Nac7 26. b4 c4 ({if} 
26... axb4 27. axb4 c4 28. Be3 {and the queen will be trapped on the a-file})
27. Bc3 {. What an agonizing position for Black!}) 24... h6 {Now White's
advantage is gone, but after some back and forth moves, she regains it.} 25.
Ne4 Nxe4 26. Bxe4 Rfe8 {Right square, wrong rook.} (26... Rce8 {gives life to
the b7-bishop.}) 27. Qg4 Bf8 28. b4 axb4 29. axb4 h5 30. Qf3 $1 g6 31. g4 $1
hxg4 32. Qxg4 Rc7 {[#]} 33. bxc5 $2 ({Stronger is} 33. Qh4 Be7 34. Qg3 Bd6 35.
Qg2 {with h2-h4-h5 coming.}) 33... Nxc5 34. Nxc5 $6 ({Again} 34. Qh4 $1 {
gives decent winning chances after} Rxe4 35. Qxe4 Nxe4 36. Bxb6 Rxc1 37. Rxc1
Bxd5 38. Rc8 f6 39. Nf4 Bf7 40. f3 {.}) 34... Bxc5 35. Bxc5 ({White needed to
try} 35. Rxc5 Rxc5 36. Bd4 {with a scary, if fizzling, attack.}) 35... Rxc5 36.
Rxc5 Qxc5 37. Bxg6 Kf8 $2 {[#] Now both sides miss chances in the final moves.}
({Of course} 37... fxg6 38. Qxg6+ Kf8 {is just a perpetual.}) 38. Bxf7 $6 (38.
Qf4 $1 {introduces unstoppable threats.}) 38... Kxf7 39. Qf5+ Kg7 $2 ({There's
no win (here or on move 41) after} 39... Kg8 $1 40. Rd3 Re1+ 41. Kg2 Qe7 42.
Rg3+ Kh8 {etc.}) 40. Qg5+ $2 Kf7 41. Qf5+ Ke7 $4 42. d6+ Kd8 43. Qxc5 1-0

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.03"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Black "Koneru, Humpy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2523"]
[BlackElo "2567"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Switzerland"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SUI"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 d5 {A rare move! Though Black typically
waits on this break, opting first for dark-squared bishop development on e7 or
c5, the early center strike leads to some more forcing lines.} 5. exd5 Nxd5 6.
O-O Be7 7. Re1 f6 8. d4 Nb6 9. Bb3 ({Here} 9. Bb5 {is more common, where the
game may continue:} O-O 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. dxe5 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Bg4 {. Despite
Black's lacking pawn structure and the loss of material, White's pieces are
underdeveloped and Black's bishops wreak havoc.}) 9... Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11.
Qxd4 exd4 12. Bf4 Bf5 13. Bxc7 Kd7 14. Nd2 Bc5 15. Bxb6 axb6 {Black must
generate the most dynamic play possible in order to maintain the balance;
though the pawn structure is less than ideal, Black has play along the a-file
and with the two bishops.} 16. Ne4 Rhe8 17. Ng3 Bg6 {[#]} 18. h4 {Kosteniuk's
play is instructive. With the dark-squared bishop locked down on c5, and
White's strong light-squared bishop, she begins gaining more space on the
kingside, seeking to damage the Black kingside pawn structure. Here is the
first critical point of the game.} Re5 $6 {Allowing the push to continue.
Instead} (18... h6 {would have been more precise, keeping the bishop on the
important c2-h7 diagonal. White's knight should not be allowed into Black's
position via e4/f5, and this stops the h5-h6 push as well. After} 19. h5 Bh7 {
White has trouble remanuevering the knight; for example:} 20. Ne2 ({or} 20.
Rxe8 Kxe8 21. Re1+ Kf8 {with Ra8-e8 coming in this equal position}) 20... Re4 {
with equality.}) 19. h5 Be8 20. h6 {Now the power of the e4-knight becomes
clear. By undermining the pawn chain with h5-h6, the f6-square becomes an easy
target.} gxh6 ({Case in point: if} 20... g5 21. Ne4 {with an advantage.}) 21.
Ne4 Bg6 22. Nxf6+ Kd6 {[#] White has improved her position, while Black's
position has become quite practically difficult. All of Black's pawns are now
doubled or isolated; further, the knight on f6 proves annoying to dislodge.
Here ...Ra8-f8 is impossible because of Re1xe5 followed by a fork on d7, while
moving the e5-rook off the file allows Re1-e6.} 23. Rad1 h5 24. g3 Rd8 ({
Engines suggest} 24... Rxe1+ {, which leads to a more active defense at the
cost of material. Play continues} 25. Rxe1 Rf8 26. Re6+ Kc7 27. Nd5+ Kd7 28.
Nxb6+ Kd8 {and after this forcing sequence, Black has ideas with ...d4-d3 and
the weak f2-square which are difficult to stop. To this human eye, however, it
feels a bit dubious. Still, after} 29. Na4 Be7 {the position looks unpleasant,
but Black has just enough resources to keep the balance. ...h5-h4 comes, while
the knight on a4 is misplaced, and the two bishops have an open board to
generate play.}) 25. Kg2 Rf5 {With the rook on d8, this is possible as White
does not have Nf6-d5 after Re1-e6 and ...Kd6-c7.} 26. Ne4+ ({The position is
level after} 26. Re6+ Kc7 27. Ne4 Rdf8 {.}) 26... Kc7 27. f4 $1 {Eyeing Ne4-g5.
Here, Black has only one move to hold equality.} Be7 $6 {Missing White's
threat of c3, giving her knight more squares and opening up files in front of
the weak king} ({Necessary was} 27... Bb4 {, stopping c2-c3. After} 28. Re2 h4
{the tactics work out because ...Bg6-h5 is a threat.} 29. Ng5 Rxg5 30. fxg5 Bh5
{with equality.}) 28. c3 dxc3 29. Nxc3 {Once the knight reaches d5, White's
position is dominating. Black's king also proves to be surprisingly vulnerable.
} Rxd1 30. Rxd1 Bc5 31. Nb5+ Kc6 32. Na7+ Kc7 33. Nb5+ Kc6 34. Ba4 $1 {Driving
Black's king out into the center.} Rf8 35. Nd4+ Kd5 36. Bb3+ Ke4 37. Ne6 Rc8
38. Bc2+ Ke3 39. f5 {Finishing up with a nice tactic and mating combination.}
Be7 40. Rd3+ Ke2 41. Nd4+ (41. Nd4+ Ke1 42. Rd1# {A fantastic game by
Kosteniuk!}) 1-0

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.03"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Abdumalik, Zhansaya"]
[Black "Krush, Irina"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B69"]
[WhiteElo "2497"]
[BlackElo "2436"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Kazakhstan"]
[BlackTeam "United States"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "KAZ"]
[BlackTeamCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8.
O-O-O Bd7 9. f4 Be7 10. Nf3 b5 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. f5 h5 13. Kb1 Qa5 14. Bd3
O-O-O 15. Rhe1 Kb7 16. Qf2 Rc8 17. Ne2 e5 18. Nc1 Qb6 19. Qxb6+ Kxb6 20. Ne2
Bd8 21. Nc3 Ne7 22. Bf1 Bc7 23. Re3 Bc6 24. a3 h4 25. Red3 Rcd8 26. b3 Kb7 27.
Kb2 Nxf5 28. exf5 e4 29. Rd5 exf3 30. gxf3 Rhg8 31. R5d4 Bxf3 32. R1d3 Bh1 33.
Nd5 Rg5 34. Bh3 Bxd5 35. Rxd5 Bb6 36. Rxd6 Rxd6 37. Rxd6 Bc7 38. Rd2 {[#]
After a topsy-turvy middlegame, we enter a rook and opposite-colored bishops
endgame with equal material. It seems, at first glance, to be a draw, but this
is much less straightforward in reality. Let's see how Krush demonstrates her
technique!} Be5+ 39. c3 {The only move. After} (39. Ka2 $2 Rg1 {we see the
danger of opposite-colored bishops: they are killers when the king is
vulnerable.}) 39... Kc7 40. Rf2 Rg1 {Krush comes for the h2-pawn.} 41. Bf1 Rh1
42. h3 Bg3 43. Rf3 Rh2+ 44. Kb1 {[diagram] It seems White is holding her
position together with this defense, but more active measures must be
undertaken shortly.} Kd6 45. c4 $1 bxc4 46. Bxc4 a5 ({Or} 46... Rxh3 47. Bxa6 {
.}) 47. Rd3+ Ke5 {[diagram]} 48. Rd5+ {An inaccuracy. The rook cannot wander
to capture the queenside pawn, as it must stay close to defend.} ({White
shoudl have started pushing her own passer on the queenside with} 48. b4 {
with the point that White is almost able to force an exchange of rooks into a
drawn endgame:} axb4 49. axb4 Rxh3 50. Kc2 $1 {Preparing the exchange} Rh2+ ({
if} 50... Rh1 51. Rd1) 51. Rd2 Rxd2+ 52. Kxd2 h3 53. Bf1 h2 54. Bg2 {with
equality.}) 48... Ke4 49. Rxa5 Rxh3 {[#]} 50. Bxf7 $2 {The final mistake; now
White cannot stop the passer.} ({Necessary was} 50. Bd5+ {, as White can bring
the rook back to the defense via Ra5-a4-c4, while keeping the bishop locked on
the promotion square. Here's a sample of how play might continue:} {(a)} Kd3 ({
(b)} 50... Kd4 51. Bb7 Rh2 52. Rd5+ Ke3 53. Rc5 {and the rook heads back to
the first and second ranks to exchange itself off}) ({(c)} 50... Ke3 51. Rc5
Kd4 ({or} 51... Be5 {when} 52. Rc4 $1 {is most precise, not allowing the rook
to get off the h-file}) 52. Bg2 Rh2 53. Rc2 h3 54. Bb7) 51. Ra4 Rh2 52. Rg4 {
with equality.}) 50... Rh1+ 51. Kc2 Rh2+ 52. Kb1 h3 53. Be8 Be5 $1 {Black has
the passed h-pawn, while White has the problem of a weak king. Krush expertly
deploys all her pieces (rook, bishop, and king) to torture White with
checkmate threats.} 54. Bc6+ Kd3 55. Rd5+ ({Black also wins after} 55. Ba8 Rb2+
56. Kc1 Rxb3 {[%cal Ge5f4] as, with ...Be5-f4 coming next, White's king is too
weak:} 57. Ra4 Bb2+ 58. Kd1 Bd4 {etc.}) 55... Bd4 56. Rd6 Rb2+ 57. Kc1 Rc2+ 58.
Kb1 {Black has one last shot to wrap up the game.} Rxc6 $1 59. Rxc6 h2 60. Rc1
Bg1 0-1

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.04"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Khotenashvili, Bella"]
[Black "Zatonskih, Anna"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A07"]
[WhiteElo "2470"]
[BlackElo "2327"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "136"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Georgia"]
[BlackTeam "United States"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "GEO"]
[BlackTeamCountry "USA"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. O-O Be7 5. d3 O-O 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. e4 dxe4 8.
dxe4 e5 9. c3 a5 10. Qc2 Be6 11. Ng5 Bd7 12. Nc4 Bc5 13. Ne3 h6 14. Nf3 Re8 15.
Bd2 Qc8 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Nb8 18. Rfe1 Bf5 19. Qa4 Nd7 20. Nh4 Nf6 21. Qb5
Bb6 22. Nxf5 Qxf5 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. Rxe3 e4 25. c4 Ng4 26. Re2 Nxh2 27. d6 Nf3+
28. Bxf3 Qxf3 29. Re3 Qg4 30. dxc7 Rac8 31. Rae1 Re7 32. Qd5 Rcxc7 33. Rxe4
Rxe4 34. Rxe4 Qc8 35. Qb5 Kh7 36. Re8 Qg4 37. c5 Qd1+ 38. Kh2 Qc2 39. Re2 Rxc5
40. Rxc2 Rxb5 41. b3 Kg6 42. Kg2 Re5 43. Rc7 b6 44. Rc6+ Re6 45. Rc4 f6 46. a4
Kf5 47. b4 Re4 48. Rc7 Rxb4 49. Rxg7 Rxa4 50. Kh3 h5 51. Rh7 Kg6 52. Rh8 b5 53.
Rg8+ Kf7 54. Rb8 Rb4 55. f4 a4 56. Ra8 Kg6 57. Ra5 Rb3 58. Kh4 a3 59. g4 hxg4
60. Kxg4 f5+ 61. Kh4 b4 62. Ra6+ (62. Rxa3 Rb2 63. Ra6+ Kf7 64. Kg5) 62... Kf7
63. Kg5 Rb2 64. Kxf5 a2 65. Ra7+ Ke8 66. Ke6 Re2+ 67. Kd5 b3 68. Kc4 Re1 0-1

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.04"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Black "Dronavalli, Harika"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2523"]
[BlackElo "2510"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Switzerland"]
[BlackTeam "India"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SUI"]
[BlackTeamCountry "IND"]

{[%evp 0,107,19,38,40,41,41,32,28,27,46,29,29,12,9,30,12,9,12,8,31,17,20,30,56,
15,9,15,9,7,7,5,5,5,5,13,29,-11,13,-4,-10,-22,-22,-24,-21,-18,-16,-29,-27,-55,
-45,-52,-45,-60,-60,-40,-80,-59,-74,-109,-81,-84,-51,-62,-68,-43,-38,-27,-36,
-36,-27,-56,-56,-44,-55,-37,-31,-20,-26,-10,0,-30,-5,0,0,0,0,21,36,0,15,35,62,
129,171,204,357,430,503,505,505,379,505,515,515,901,787,860,1230,1272]} 1. e4
c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Ne4
Bb7 {Uncommon, but gaining in popularity recently.} 9. Be2 c5 10. O-O Qc7 11.
c4 Ne3 12. Nd6+ ({More common is} 12. Bxe3 Bxe4 13. Bf4 {, when White seeks to
generate play on the kingside and along the d-file with the strong e5-pawn.})
12... Bxd6 13. exd6 Qc6 14. Bf3 Nxd1 15. Bxc6 Bxc6 16. Rxd1 {We have reached
an equal, opposite-colored bishops endgame with rooks on the board. But the
game is far from dead and dry; White hopes that the queenside pawns,
particularly on c5, will be a weakness. Meanwhile, Black can try something
with ...f7-f6, ...e6-e5, and ...Ke8-f7 when the d6-pawn becomes a weakness
once the c1-bishop cannot protect it.} O-O 17. Be3 Rfc8 18. Rd2 ({If} 18. Bxc5
$2 Ba4 {with serious advantage.}) 18... Bb7 19. Rc1 a5 20. Rc3 a4 21. Ra3 f6
22. f3 Kf7 23. Kf2 e5 {Black is taking over.} 24. f4 Ke6 $6 ({It would have
been more accurate (and advantageous) for Black to retake on e5 with a rook,
beginning action in the center while White's pieces are jumbled, i.e,.} 24...
Re8 25. fxe5 Rxe5 {with a clear edge.}) 25. g4 g6 26. fxe5 fxe5 27. Bh6 Rc6 28.
Rad3 Rb6 29. Ke1 Rb4 30. Rc3 Rb6 31. Re3 {White declines the implict draw
offer in favor of playing against the weak e5-pawn!} e4 32. Rh3 {Switching
gears to eye the kingside pawns.} Ba6 33. Re3 Bb7 34. Rh3 Ba6 35. b3 axb3 36.
axb3 Rxd6 ({Another possibility was} 36... Bb7 {, attempting to bring the
a8-rook into the game. Perhaps Harika was afraid of} 37. Bf4 h5 38. gxh5 gxh5
39. Rxh5 Rxb3 40. Rxc5 {, which does look dicey, but Black generates enough
play with the active rooks and White's less-than-ideal king. Call it equal
after} Ra1+ 41. Ke2 Rf3 42. Bg3 Rg1 {.}) 37. Rxd6+ Kxd6 38. Bf4+ Kc6 39. Rxh7 {
[#] While the engine calls this equal, Black faces practical challenges. The
king is too far away to really defend the kingside pawns, and the bishop is
misplaced on a6. Meanwhile, Black must be on the lookout for the loose g6-pawn
and White's fast-marching h-pawn.} Rf8 40. Bg3 Rf3 ({Perhaps postponing ...
Rf8-f3 would be safer. With} 40... Rf6 {first, Black sets to defend the
g6-pawn, and White cannot play h2-h4 as then ...Rf8-f3 comes with tempo. At
some point, Black will plan to play either ...d7-d6 and then reroute the
bishop via c8, or ...d7-d5 (when there is no Rh7-c7 possible). For instance:}
41. Rh8 (41. h4 $2 Rf3 42. Be5 Rxb3 {and wins}) 41... d5 42. cxd5+ Kxd5 43.
Rd8+ Ke6 {is equal.}) 41. Rg7 Rxb3 $6 {Now things get very rough for Black;
though not losing just yet, she must find some very difficult moves!} ({Here} 
41... Re3+ {should be played first if Black wants to take on b3! The very
discreet point is difficult to see from afar, but at the very end of the
variation, Black has a check, allowing her to bring the rook back to the eigth
rank and prevent the pawn from queening. To wit:} 42. Kd1 Rxb3 43. Rxg6+ d6 $1
{Opening up the d-file later for the rook to reroute via ...Rb3-d3-d8.} 44.
Rxd6+ Kb7 45. Rxa6 Kxa6 46. g5 Kb7 47. g6 Kc6 48. g7 Rd3+ 49. Ke2 Rd8 {and
Black makes it in time!}) 42. Rxg6+ Kb7 43. Rxa6 Kxa6 44. g5 {[#] Black to
play and save the game.} d5 ({The right move was} 44... Rb6 $1 45. h4 d5 $1 {
. when Black's idea is to only play ...d7-d5 when White's bishop is no longer
defended by the h-pawn; that way, Black can successfully drive the white king
over to the kingside and then start pushing the c-pawn. For instance:} 46. cxd5
Rb1+ 47. Ke2 Rb2+ 48. Ke3 ({or} 48. Kf1 Rb1+ 49. Be1 c4) 48... Rb3+ 49. Kf4 ({
here} 49. Kf2 Rf3+ 50. Kg2 c4 51. g6 c3 {is also equal}) 49... c4 50. g6 c3 {
and the position is balanced after both sides promote.}) 45. cxd5 Re3+ ({
Note that the above is not as effective with the g3-bishop protected:} 45...
Rb1+ 46. Kd2 Rb2+ 47. Ke3 Rb3+ 48. Kxe4) 46. Kf2 Rd3 47. g6 {White's win is
simple once the g-pawn reaches the seventh rank.} Rxd5 48. g7 Rg5 49. Be5 Kb5
50. Ke3 Kc6 51. h4 Rg4 52. Bf6 Rg6 53. h5 Rg4 54. h6 1-0

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.06"]
[Round "4.4"]
[White "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"]
[Black "Zatonskih, Anna"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2523"]
[BlackElo "2327"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Switzerland"]
[BlackTeam "United States"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "SUI"]
[BlackTeamCountry "USA"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Na3 {A very rare move,
designed to catch Zatonskih off-guard in her favored French Defense.} cxd4 7.
cxd4 Bd7 8. Be2 ({More common is} 8. Nc2 {, preventing ...Bf8-b4 and perhaps
rerouting the knight to e3.}) 8... Bb4+ 9. Kf1 Bxa3 10. bxa3 {It's typically
risky to give up the dark-squared bishop in the French, as there are critical
weaknesses in her position that the bishop can defend. But if Black can
generate enough play before White consolidates, then she will be doing well.}
Na5 {Now White must figure out a plan, and two are viable. The first is to
play on the kingside, developing the rook via h2-h4 and Rh1-h3, while the
second is to try to get play on the queenside with the dark-squared bishop} 11.
Qd3 ({Both} 11. a4 Ne7 12. Ba3) ({and} 11. Bd2 Ne7 12. Rb1 Qc7 13. Bb4 {
are equal.}) 11... Ba4 12. Bd2 Nc4 13. Rb1 Qc6 {Now Black is threatening ...
Ba4-c2!} 14. Qc3 {Kosteniuk tries to get play on the queenside, but this is
the wrong idea.} ({Better is} 14. Kg1 Ne7 15. h4 Rc8 16. Rh3 {, completing
development. White must start playing dynamically on the kingside, as she is
positionally worse on the queenside.}) 14... Ne7 15. Qb4 Rc8 16. Bg5 Rc7 {[#]}
17. Bd1 $4 {The decisive mistake in an already tricky position, allowing Black
to dominate the queenside with the c4-knight.} ({White needed to try} 17. Kg1
Nf5 18. g4 Ne7 19. h4 {when the idea to play on the kingside should resurface.}
) 17... Bxd1 18. Rxd1 Qa6 {Now White loses the a3-pawn and Black enters a
winning endgame.} 19. Kg1 Nc6 20. Qb3 Qxa3 21. h4 Qxb3 22. axb3 Na3 23. h5 h6
24. Bd2 Nb5 25. Rh4 O-O 26. Rg4 Kh7 27. Be1 Rfc8 {Readying the invasion on the
c-file.} 28. Rd3 Ne7 29. Bd2 Rc2 30. Bb4 Nc6 31. Bd2 Ne7 32. Bb4 R8c7 33. Nh4
Nc3 34. Bd6 Rd7 35. Bb4 Rc7 36. Bd6 Rd7 37. Bb4 Ne4 {A nice rerouting of the
knight to a key central square.} 38. Rf4 Nc6 39. Ba3 Ra2 40. b4 a6 41. f3 Ng3
42. Rg4 Nxh5 43. b5 axb5 44. Bc5 g5 45. f4 Nxf4 {Refusing to grant White even
a sniff of counterplay by taking the free piece, although Black is still
totally winning after} (45... gxh4 46. Rxh4 Ng7 47. g4 Ne7 {.}) 46. Re3 Ne7 47.
Nf3 Nf5 48. Rb3 Kg6 49. Kh2 Kh5 50. Rxf4 gxf4 {Zatonskih wraps things up
nicely.} 51. Ne1 Ne3 52. Kh3 Kg5 53. g3 Nf5 54. Nf3+ Kg6 55. gxf4 Rf2 56. Bb6
Re7 57. Ba5 Re8 58. Be1 Re2 59. Rxb5 Ra8 60. Ba5 b6 61. Bb4 Re3 0-1

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.09"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Mammadzada, Gunay"]
[Black "Zatonskih, Anna"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2456"]
[BlackElo "2327"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "146"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "Azerbaijan"]
[BlackTeam "United States"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "AZE"]
[BlackTeamCountry "USA"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Nc6 {A bit offbeat. The main move is} (8... Bd7 {which is played ten times
more frequently according to the database!}) 9. Na3 {A novelty that Mammadzada
cooked up on the spot, but not a good one.} ({A typical idea would be} 9. Qxc4
Qd5 10. Nbd2 Rd8 11. e3 Qh5 {. Here Black is always looking at possible ...
e6-e5 or ...b7-b5 breaks to fight back against White's space advantage. But
this might be difficult to navigate without having seen this position
previously, prompting Mammadzada to try her novelty.}) ({Perhaps a more
accurate try is} 9. Nbd2 Nxd4 10. Nxd4 Qxd4 11. Nxc4 Nd5 12. Rd1 Qf6 13. e4 {
when White gets active play as compensation for the pawn.}) 9... b5 10. Ne5 Nb4
11. Qd1 Rb8 {Now Black has both a pawn and the advantage.} 12. axb5 axb5 {
[#] Let's pause and consider White's possible plans. Right now, her advantage
is in development, along with Black's slightly discombobulated pieces.
Therefore, the best idea is for White to capitalize on the fact that the
b5-pawn is a bit weak and the issues in developing Black's bishop normally.}
13. b3 {This makes it too simple for Black to continue development.} ({White
must utilize dynamics to keep the game in a closer balance, ensuring Black's
pieces cannot develop normally. Therefore:} 13. Bc6 Ba6 14. Nc2 Rb6 15. Nxb4
Bxb4 16. e4 {and the game remains sharp, but Black has the upper hand. After}
Bd6 17. Qf3 Ne8 18. Rxa6 Rxa6 19. Bxb5 Rb6 20. Bxc4 {White sacrifices an
Exchange for a pawn and the two bishops along with the strong center pawns. It
is by no means simple for Black to retain the advantage.}) 13... cxb3 ({
Note that} 13... c3 {does not work for tactical reasons:} 14. Nc2 Bb7 (14...
Nxc2 15. Qxc2 {is equal; White wants both Ne5-c6 and Qc2xc3, and Black can't
stop both at once}) 15. Bxb7 Nxc2 {The only move, as trying to avoid the
knight exchange does not work} (15... Rxb7 $2 16. Nxb4 Bxb4 17. Nc6 Qd6 18.
Nxb4 Qxb4 19. Ba3 {and White wins}) 16. Qxc2 Rxb7 17. Qxc3 {with equality.})
14. Bb2 Bb7 15. Qxb3 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rb6 {With her development completed, Black
can focus on converting the extra pawn.} 17. Rfc1 Nd7 18. Nf3 Qb8 19. Nb1 {
Rerouting the knight back into the epicenter of the game.} Nd5 20. Nbd2 c5 21.
dxc5 Nxc5 22. Qc2 Rb7 $6 {[#]} ({Better to keep the pressure on White with} 
22... Rc6 23. Be5 Qb7 24. Qb2 f6 25. Bd4 Na4 {and a healthy edge.}) 23. e4 ({
Here} 23. Be5 {equalizes on the spot, taking advantage of the misplaced
b7-rook:} Qd8 24. Qb2 Nf6 25. Bd4 {This forces the knight back, as Black can't
play ...Nc5-a4 due to the pin.} Qd5 26. Bxc5 Bxc5 27. e4 Qh5 28. e5 {And with
the black queen cut off, White manages to hold everything on the queenside.})
23... Nb6 24. Be5 Qd8 25. Nb3 Nc4 26. Rd1 Qc8 27. Bd4 $2 {A mistake, as the
real danger is the c4-knight.} ({So} 27. Na5 {to remove it is necessary.})
27... Nxb3 28. Qxb3 Bc5 $2 {Returning the favor. Generally speaking, it's
easier to hold a rook endgame a pawn down than a rook and minor piece ending.}
({Black should aim to keep the dark-squared bishops (and the dynamism) on the
board with} 28... Qc6 {, which supports the b5-b4 push. After} 29. Re1 Rc8 {
Black prepares to push the pawn and keeps pieces on the board.}) 29. Rac1 Qc6
30. Qc3 Bxd4 31. Qxd4 Qb6 32. Qxb6 Rxb6 33. Nd4 ({White should have activated
the rook with} 33. Rd7 {for better drawing chances, i.e.,} Rfb8 34. Nd4 h6 35.
Rc7 Nd2 36. Re1 b4 37. Rc2 {with a possible hold.}) 33... h6 34. Re1 Rfb8 35.
Re2 Ne5 36. f4 Rd8 37. Nxb5 Rxb5 ({The engine deems} 37... Nd3 38. Rb1 Rdb8 39.
Rd1 Nxf4+ 40. gxf4 Rxb5 {to be winning for Black, but it's unclear to humans
just how to proceed. The idea seems to be to put pressure on the weak h-pawn,
and then break with a timely ...g7-g5 or ...e6-e5 to separate the pawns
further.}) 38. fxe5 Rxe5 {[#] White should hold with best play, but (this is
becoming a theme in this article) it's a difficult task, practically speaking.}
39. Rce1 {Passive defense. Instead White should have pulled out the stops and
activated her pieces with} (39. Rc7 $1 f6 ({if} 39... Rd4 {White plays} 40. Ra2
$1 {, giving up the e-pawn to get to the f-pawn:} f6 41. Ra8+ Kh7 42. Rf8 Rd2+
(42... Kg6 43. Rg8 {is equal}) 43. Kf3 Rxh2 44. Rxf6 {and while Black is still
better, the game goes on.}) 40. Rc3 Rd4 41. Kf3 Kf7 (41... g5 {allows} 42. Rc7
$1 {which was the point of provoking ...f7-f6! Now the black king cannot get
out.} h5 43. Rb2) 42. Ree3 Kg6 43. h4 {and by forcing the black king to g6,
and stopping the advance of the g5-pawn, White holds on.}) 39... g5 {Now
Zatonskih systematically improves her position} 40. Rf2 Rd4 41. Ref1 Rd7 42.
Re1 Kg7 43. Rfe2 Rd4 44. Kf3 Ra4 45. Kg2 Kg6 46. Kf2 h5 47. Kg1 g4 48. Kg2 f6
49. Kg1 Kg5 50. Kg2 Rb4 {At some point, Black will break with ...h5-h4 and the
position will fall apart.} 51. Kg1 Reb5 52. Rf1 Rb2 53. Rxb2 Rxb2 {The task is
simple after the exchange of rooks.} 54. Ra1 Re2 55. Ra4 e5 56. Rb4 h4 57. Ra4
h3 58. Rb4 Kg6 59. Ra4 Rg2+ 60. Kh1 Rd2 61. Kg1 Rd4 62. Ra8 Rxe4 63. Kf2 Rb4
64. Ra2 Rb1 65. Ke3 Re1+ 66. Kd3 Kf5 67. Rf2+ Ke6 68. Ra2 Rg1 69. Ke4 f5+ 70.
Ke3 Rg2 71. Ra6+ Kf7 72. Ra5 Kf6 73. Ra6+ Kg5 0-1

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.11"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Zatonskih, Anna"]
[Black "Abdumalik, Zhansaya"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2327"]
[BlackElo "2497"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "United States"]
[BlackTeam "Kazakhstan"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "KAZ"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 c5 {
A rare move, meant to catch Zatonskih off-guard. By striking earlier than
usual in the center, Black offers White the chance to break up her pawn
structure in return for more dynamic play.} ({The more typical continuation is
} 7... Bb7 8. f3 h6 9. Bh4 d5 10. e3 {with a perfectly playable position for
both sides.}) 8. dxc5 bxc5 9. Nh3 {Another rare move, and one that likely gets
Abdumalik out of prep. With what follows she decides to head to the endgame.}
h6 10. Bxf6 Qxf6 11. Qxf6 gxf6 12. Nf4 Nc6 13. Nh5 {[#] Now we reach the first
key moment. Black played very naturally so far, trying to hold the f6-pawn.
But instead, she should have been focusing on rapid development and getting
the pieces to active squares; otherwise, White gets too much pressure (as we
see in the game!)} f5 ({The engine suggests} 13... Rd8 14. Nxf6+ Kf8 15. O-O-O
d6 16. Ne4 Ke7 17. e3 Rb8 {, which at first glance, I did not find terribly
convincing for Black. Now I think she gets just enough play with her pieces,
and combined with the open b-file, there's sufficient pressure for the pawn.})
14. O-O-O f6 {Another natural move, with White threatening Nh5xf6 to get to
the d7-pawn. But active play was still best:} (14... Na5 {gets the knight off
the awkward c6-square, avoiding what happens in the game. After} 15. Nf6+ (15.
e3 Rd8 {is equal, as g2-g4 is not dangerous}) 15... Kg7 16. Nxd7 Bxd7 17. Rxd7
Nxc4 {Black is doing fine with such an active knight.}) 15. g4 $1 {With this
pawn sacrifice White gets a tempo to demolish Black's queenside structure due
to the pin on the long diagonal.} fxg4 16. Bg2 Kf7 ({Worse are} 16... Bb7 17.
Rxd7 {and}) (16... Rb8 17. Bxc6 dxc6 18. h3 gxh3 19. Rxh3 {when Black's pawns
and king are weak, and the bishop is poor compared to the h5-knight.}) 17. h3
$1 Rg8 ({Here} 17... gxh3 {nearly loses, as the king is weak. Black must avoid
opening the kingside files unless it's on her terms. To wit:} 18. Rxh3 Rb8 19.
Bxc6 dxc6 20. Rg3 {with a fantastic position.}) 18. Nf4 $6 {This misplaces the
knight and gives Black a chance to get back into the game.} ({After} 18. Ng3
Rb8 19. Bxc6 dxc6 20. Ne4 {the knight is dominating the bishop.}) 18... g3 ({
The correct} 18... Rb8 $1 {equalizes immediately, as it forces White to decide
whether or not to capture on c6. Both options work for Black:} {(b)} 19. hxg4 (
{(a)} 19. Bxc6 dxc6 20. Nd3 e5 {unleashes an attack on the h3-pawn and grabs
the initiative, while}) 19... Rxg4 20. e3 Ne5 {is at least equal.}) 19. fxg3
Rxg3 20. Bxc6 dxc6 21. Rd6 e5 22. Nh5 Rxh3 23. Rxf6+ Ke7 24. Rxh3 Bxh3 25. Rxh6
Be6 {Black has managed to fight back to equality, but she is not out of the
woods yet!} 26. Rh7+ Kd6 27. Ng3 {Perhaps a bit premature.} ({Instead} 27. b3 {
was more challenging. Now if} a5 $2 (27... Rg8 {is the only move, stopping
knight jumps after} 28. Nf6 Bf5) 28. Ng3 {is crushing.}) 27... Bxc4 28. Ne4+
Kd5 29. Nc3+ Kd6 30. Ne4+ Kd5 31. Rh4 Ba6 32. Nc3+ Kd6 33. Rh6+ Kd7 34. Kd2 Bc4
35. Ne4 Kc7 36. Nxc5 Bg8 37. Kc3 a5 38. Rg6 {[#]} Bd5 $4 {By allowing White's
rook onto the seventh rank, Black risks becoming ensnared in a dangerous net
with the knight and rook.} ({It was necessary to block the seventh with} 38...
Bf7 39. Rg7 Kd6 40. b4 axb4+ 41. axb4 Ra3+ 42. Kb2 Ra7 {with an equal position.
}) 39. Rg7+ Kb6 (39... Kc8 40. e4 Ba2 41. b3 {Threatening both Kb2 and Rg8,
White is winning}) 40. b4 $4 {A stumble!} ({The right move is} 40. Nd7+ $1 {
, with a lovely geometric motif. Black's bishop is in a precarious state.} Kc7
(40... Ka6 41. e4 Bg8 42. a4 {sets up a mating net, and Black has to pitch
pawns to avoid losing on the spot}) 41. e4 Ba2 (41... Bxe4 42. Nc5+ {, while})
(41... Be6 42. Nc5+ Kd6 43. Nb7# {is an unexpected but beautiful mate.}) 42.
Nc5+ Kb6 43. Na4+ Ka6 44. b3 {and now the bishop is trapped. Black wraps
things up with} Bb1 ({or} 44... Rb8 45. Nc5+ Kb6 46. Nd7+) 45. Kb2 Bd3 46. Nc5+
) 40... axb4+ $4 {And a stumble in return. White now forces a winning minor
piece ending.} ({The most stubborn defense was} 40... Ra7 41. Rxa7 (41. bxa5+
Rxa5 42. Nd7+ Kb5 {is equal}) 41... Kxa7 42. bxa5 Bf7 43. Nd7 (43. e4 Bg6)
43... Be8 44. Nxe5 Ka6 {and with the black king getting into the game and
pressuring the a3-pawn (after taking on a5) there's enough to hold the draw.})
41. Kxb4 Ra7 42. Rxa7 Kxa7 {[#]} 43. e3 $4 {Giving Black one last chance.} ({
White has to try to grab the pawn immediately, as every tempo maters.
Therefore:} 43. Nd7 {White has to go to the pawn immediately, as every tempo
matters} Bh1 (43... e4 44. Nf6 {picks up the pawn and covers the c5-square as
well}) 44. Nxe5 Ka6 45. Nd3 {controlling c5, and not allowing the black king
to get to a5.} ({Why is it so important for the knight to defend the c5-square
when the black king lands on a6? Here's an illustrative line: After} 45. e3 c5+
46. Kxc5 Ka5 {Black can sacrifice the bishop for the e-pawn and pick up the
a-pawn with the king, achieving the draw.})) 43... Ba2 44. Nd7 e4 $2 {Missing
the drawing idea. Now White doesn't let the win go.} ({Necessary was} 44... Ka6
45. Nxe5 c5+ 46. Kxc5 (46. Ka4 Bd5 {is equal}) 46... Ka5 {and the king grabs
the a3-pawn.}) 45. Nc5 Bb1 {The bishop soon runs out of squares.} ({The sterner
} 45... Bd5 {loses as well, as Black runs out of tempi with the bishop's
defense of the e4-pawn, while also trying to kepe the king ready to go to a6.
For instance,} 46. a4 Kb6 47. a5+ Ka7 48. Kc3 Kb8 49. Kd4 Ka7 50. Ke5 $1 {
Black can't get to the a-pawn, and White wins the e-pawn.}) 46. a4 Kb6 47. a5+
Ka7 48. Kb3 Bd3 49. Nxd3 exd3 50. e4 Ka6 51. e5 1-0

[Event "Cairns Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2023.06.12"]
[Round "9.4"]
[White "Krush, Irina"]
[Black "Zatonskih, Anna"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D33"]
[WhiteElo "2436"]
[BlackElo "2327"]
[Annotator "Yip, Carissa"]
[PlyCount "259"]
[EventDate "2023.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]
[WhiteTeam "United States"]
[BlackTeam "United States"]
[WhiteTeamCountry "USA"]
[BlackTeamCountry "USA"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. g3 Nf6 7. Bg2 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Bc5 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. O-O O-O 11. Na4 Bb6 12. Qc2 Bd7 13. b3 Qe7 14. Bb2
Rfe8 15. e3 Ne4 16. Nxb6 axb6 {[#] Black has a strong knight on e4, but has
given up the two bishops. White's kingside is a bit vulnerable as it lacks a
knight on f3, and Black has ideas of ...h7-h5-h4 which are promptly enacted.}
17. Rfd1 h5 18. h4 Rac8 19. Re1 Bf5 20. Qd1 {Clever, pressuring Black via the
weak b6- and g7-pawns. For her part, Black cannot avoid material loss, but she
can count on excellent counterplay on the kingside.} Qe6 21. Qd4 Qf6 ({The
alternative} 21... Qg6 {also works, holding through dynamic play. It's not
easy to see in advance, but Black gets a fantastic attack on the king with a
sacrifice on g3:} 22. Qxb6 Re6 23. Qd4 Rce8 24. Rf1 Nxg3 25. fxg3 Be4 {and
here White should bail out into an equal ending via} 26. Qxg7+ ({if instead
she tries to hold the material with} 26. Kh2 {, she won't get far:} Bxg2 27.
Kxg2 Rxe3 {and now forced is} 28. Qxg7+ Qxg7 29. Bxg7 Kxg7) 26... Qxg7 27. Bxg7
Kxg7 {with equality}) 22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. Qxf6 gxf6 24. Bxf6 Bg4 {Rerouting the
bishop to the f3-square, where it will pressure the king for the long run.} 25.
b4 b5 26. a4 bxa4 27. Rxa4 c5 28. b5 Rb8 29. Rb1 Re6 30. Bc3 Reb6 31. Rc4 Be2 (
{Here} 31... Rxb5 {would also have worked:} 32. Rxb5 Rxb5 33. Rxe4 Bf3 34. Re8+
Kh7 35. g4 hxg4 {with equality.}) 32. Rxc5 Rxb5 33. Rg5+ Kh7 34. Rbxb5 Rxb5 35.
Rg7+ {[#] White wins a pawn, but Black regains it with the mating threats.} Kh6
36. Rxf7 Bf3 37. Kh2 ({If} 37. Be1 Rb1 38. Kf1 Kg6 {White can't improve the
position despite being two pawns up.}) 37... Rc5 38. Bd4 Rc2 39. g4 Rxf2+ 40.
Kg3 Rg2+ 41. Kf4 Rxg4+ 42. Kf5 {Now material is equal, but White's pieces are
menacing the black king. Some precision is required.} Rg8 ({For instance:} 
42... Rg1 $2 43. Be5 Bg4+ 44. Kf6 {and Be5-f4 is unstoppable.}) 43. Be5 Bg4+
44. Kxe4 ({Note that if White tries the same checkmate idea now, it fails:} 44.
Kf6 $4 Rg6+ {followed by ...Rg6-e6.}) 44... Re8 45. Kf4 Re6 {And with White's
king forced back, Black just needs to hold the opposite-colored bishops
endgame.} 46. e4 Kg6 47. Rg7+ Kh6 48. Rg8 Kh7 49. Rb8 Kg6 50. Rb5 Ra6 51. Bd4
Re6 52. Rg5+ Kh6 53. Ra5 Kg6 54. Ra7 Kh6 55. e5 Rc6 56. Ke4 Kg6 57. Ra3 Re6 58.
Ra2 Rc6 59. Rf2 Ra6 60. Kd5 Be6+ 61. Kc5 Bf5 62. Bc3 Re6 63. Ra2 Bg4 64. Ra8
Kf7 65. Kd4 Kg6 66. Bb4 Rb6 67. Kc5 Re6 68. Kd4 Rb6 69. Bc5 Rb1 {While this is
still a draw, it was much easier to defend by keeping the rook posted on the
sixth rank, with the bishop covering the e6-square. Now White brings in the
king and it gets more difficult.} 70. Ra6+ Kf7 71. Rf6+ Kg7 72. Kd5 Rd1+ $2 {
[#] Misplacing the rook, and allowing the pawn to march forward.} ({Black is
still fine after} 72... Rb8 73. Rd6 Bf3+ 74. Kd4 Re8 {.}) 73. Bd4 Re1 74. e6
Kg8 75. Rg6+ (75. Rh6 Kf8 76. Kd6 {wins on the spot due to the mate threat on
h8.}) 75... Kh7 76. Rg7+ Kh6 77. e7 Bd7 78. Kd6 Ba4 ({After} 78... Rd1 79. Kxd7
Rxd4+ 80. Kc7 Re4 81. Rf7 Kg6 {Black's king is in time for the rook to win the
e7-pawn.}) 79. Rg8 Rd1 80. Kc5 Re1 81. Bf6 Kh7 82. Ra8 Kg6 83. Bg5 Bd7 84. Kd6
Bb5 85. Ra5 Be8 86. Kc7 Bf7 87. Ra6+ Kh7 88. Rh6+ Kg7 89. Rd6 Rb1 90. Bf6+ Kh7
91. Bd4 Rb4 92. Bf6 Be8 93. Rd8 Kg6 94. Bg5 Rc4+ 95. Kb6 Kf7 96. Rd2 Re4 97.
Rf2+ Kg6 98. Kc7 Bf7 99. Rf6+ Kg7 100. Rd6 Ra4 101. Bf6+ Kh7 102. Bd4 Be8 103.
Rd8 Bf7 {[#]} 104. Bf6 {After a flourish of moves, with both players in time
trouble, this is White's final chance to win the game. Rather than give Black
time with Bd4-f6 and ...Kh7-g6, she should have first cut off the e-file with}
(104. Be5 $1 Ra7+ ({or} 104... Rxh4 105. Rf8 Kg6 (105... Bg6 106. Rh8#) 106.
Rxf7 Kxf7 107. Kd7) 105. Kd6 Ra6+ 106. Kd7 Ra7+ 107. Bc7 {and promotion cannot
be prevented.}) 104... Kg6 105. Bg5 Rc4+ {Now Black takes control of the
e8-square, and doesn't let it go (after kicking the White king back first).}
106. Kd7 Rd4+ 107. Kc6 Rc4+ 108. Kd6 Re4 109. Rb8 Kg7 110. Rb7 Re1 111. Kd7
Rd1+ 112. Kc7 Re1 113. Rb6 Rd1 114. Bf6+ Kh7 115. Rc6 Be8 116. Ra6 Rd7+ 117.
Kc8 Kg8 118. Bg5 Rd4 119. Rf6 Bf7 120. Rf1 Rc4+ 121. Kd7 Rd4+ 122. Kc6 Rc4+
123. Kd6 Rd4+ 124. Ke5 Rd5+ 125. Ke4 Ra5 126. Rf6 Ra4+ 127. Ke5 Ra5+ 128. Kd6
Ra6+ 129. Kd7 Ra7+ 130. Kd8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Saint Louis Spring-B"]
[Site "Saint Louis"]
[Date "2017.05.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Belous, Vladimir"]
[Black "Abdumalik, Zhansaya"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2587"]
[BlackElo "2420"]
[Annotator "Benjamin"]
[PlyCount "165"]
[EventDate "2017.05.16"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[EventCategory "11"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,165,19,29,18,2,27,26,83,78,80,14,9,23,60,15,9,-40,-26,2,21,13,34,26,
38,64,75,74,59,0,58,75,64,75,72,62,70,52,106,85,104,92,92,110,99,95,101,94,202,
219,196,218,226,238,215,145,125,136,137,142,188,199,257,275,279,307,253,177,
208,196,194,128,176,197,197,202,180,144,147,144,140,121,119,128,130,142,128,
130,130,109,99,107,118,138,215,109,226,236,232,226,271,238,232,231,311,277,325,
311,333,375,374,367,375,375,375,386,415,414,414,435,432,432,432,432,432,432,
432,420,432,420,432,420,442,442,442,420,420,420,442,442,442,442,442,471,474,
507,517,517,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,547,557,547,
557,557,712,936]} 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2
g6 7. Qa4 Bg7 8. Ng5 e6 9. Nge4 Bf8 10. d3 Be7 11. Bh6 Nb6 12. Qd1 Nd4 13. O-O
Nf5 14. Qc1 f6 15. Be3 Nd4 16. b4 cxb4 17. Bxd4 bxc3 18. Bxc3 Na4 19. Bd2 Bd7
20. Bh6 Kf7 21. Qf4 Nb6 22. Rfc1 Qb8 23. Qf3 Nd5 24. Ng5+ Ke8 25. e4 Nf4 26.
gxf4 fxg5 27. Bxg5 Bxg5 28. fxg5 Rf8 29. Qg3 e5 30. Rc5 Rf4 31. Rac1 b6 32. Rc7
Qd8 33. Bh3 Bxh3 34. Qxh3 Qxg5+ 35. Kh1 Qg4 36. Qxg4 Rxg4 37. Rxh7 Rf4 38. Kg2
Rf7 39. Rh8+ Rf8 40. Rxf8+ Kxf8 41. Rc7 Rd8 42. Rxa7 Rxd3 43. Rb7 (43. f3 Rd2+
44. Kg3 Rb2 (44... b5 45. Rb7 Rb2 46. a4 b4 47. Rb5) 45. a4 Ra2 46. h4 Ra1 (
46... Rb2 47. Rb7 (47. a5)) 47. Rb7 Rxa4 48. Kg4 Ra3 49. Kg5 Rxf3 50. Kxg6 Rf4
(50... Kg8 51. Rb8+ Rf8 52. Rxf8+ Kxf8 53. Kf6 b5 54. Kxe5 Kf7 55. Kd4 Kg6 (
55... Ke6 56. Kc5 Ke5 57. h5 Kf6 58. Kxb5) 56. Kc5 Kh5 57. Kxb5) (50... Rg3+
51. Kf6 Kg8 52. Rb8+ (52. Rxb6 $2 Rg4) (52. Kxe5) 52... Kh7 53. Kxe5 Rg4 54.
Kd5) (50... Rf1 51. h5 (51. Rxb6 Ke7 52. h5 Rg1+ 53. Kf5 Rh1 54. h6) 51... Rg1+
52. Kf6 Kg8 53. Rxb6 Rh1 (53... Rf1+ 54. Kxe5 Rh1 55. h6 Rh5+ 56. Kf4 Kf7 57.
e5 Rh1 58. Rf6+ Ke7 59. Kf5 Rg1 60. h7 Rh1 61. Kg6 Rg1+ 62. Kh6 Rh1+) 54. Re6)
51. h5 Rxe4 52. Rb8+ (52. h6 Rg4+ 53. Kh5 Rg1 54. h7 Rh1+ 55. Kg6 Rg1+ 56. Kf6
Rf1+ 57. Ke6 $3 (57. Kxe5 Rh1) 57... Rh1 58. Rf7+ Ke8 59. Rg7) 52... Ke7 53. h6
Rg4+ 54. Kh5 Rg1 55. h7) 43... Rd4 (43... Rd6 44. Kg3) 44. Rxb6 (44. Kf3 Rd3+
45. Kg4 Rd2) 44... Rxe4 45. Ra6 (45. Rxg6 Ra4 46. Rg5 Rxa2 47. Rxe5) 45... Kg7
46. a4 Rf4 47. Ra7+ Kh6 48. Ra8 Kg7 49. a5 Ra4 50. a6 Ra3 (50... e4 51. Kf1 (
51. Kg3 g5 52. Kg2 Ra1) 51... Ra2 52. Ke1 Kh7 53. a7 Kg7 54. Kd1 Kh7 55. Kc1
Kg7 56. Kb1 Ra4 57. Kb2 Kh7 58. Kb3 Ra1 59. Kb4 Kg7 60. Kc5 Kh7 61. Kd5 Ra4 62.
Ke5 Kg7) 51. f3 Kh7 (51... Ra2+ 52. Kg3 Kf6 53. a7 Kg7 54. h4 Kh7 55. h5 gxh5
56. Kh4 Ra5 (56... Ra4+ 57. Kxh5 Ra3 58. Kg5 Kg7)) 52. a7 Kg7 53. Kf2 Kh7 54.
Ke2 Kg7 55. Kd2 Kh7 56. Kc2 Kg7 57. Kb2 Ra6 58. Kb3 Kh7 59. Kb4 Kg7 60. Kb5 Ra2
61. Kb6 Rb2+ 62. Kc6 Ra2 63. Kd6 Ra5 64. Ke6 Kh7 (64... g5 65. Kf5 e4+ 66. Kxe4
Ra3 67. Kf5) 65. Kf6 Ra6+ 66. Kxe5 Kg7 67. Kf4 Ra4+ 68. Kg3 Kh7 69. h4 Kg7 70.
f4 Ra3+ 71. Kg4 Ra5 72. h5 gxh5+ (72... Rxh5 73. Rb8) 73. Kh4 Kh7 74. f5 Ra4+
75. Kxh5 Ra5 76. Kg4 Ra4+ 77. Kf3 Ra3+ 78. Ke4 Ra4+ 79. Kd3 Ra3+ 80. Kc4 Ra4+
81. Kb3 Ra6 82. Kb4 (82. f6 Rb6+ 83. Kc4 Rb7 84. Rh8+) 82... Rb6+ 83. Ka5 1-0

[Event "Triberg-A"]
[Site "Triberg"]
[Date "1921.07.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Brinckmann, Alfred"]
[Black "Alekhine, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 d6 5. b3 Nbd7 6. Bb2 e5 7. dxe5 dxe5 8.
O-O e4 9. Ne5 Bd6 10. Nxd7 Qxd7 11. Nd2 Qe6 12. e3 h5 13. Qe2 h4 14. Nc4 Bc5
15. Rfd1 Bd5 16. Na3 hxg3 17. hxg3 a6 18. c4 Bb7 19. Nc2 Qf5 20. Ba3 Bxa3 21.
Nxa3 Ng4 22. Nc2 Rh2 23. Qd2 Ke7 24. Nb4 Rah8 25. Qe2 Qf3 0-1

[Event "ABC-369"]
[Site "Triberg"]
[Date "1921.07.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Problem 1"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rnR/5pk1/4p1p1/2q1P1Q1/7B/8/6K1/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

 1-0

[Event "ABC-369"]
[Site "Triberg"]
[Date "1921.07.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Problem 2"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4n1k1/6bR/4K3/8/8/8/1B4r1/7R w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

 1-0

[Event "ABC-369"]
[Site "Triberg"]
[Date "1921.07.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Problem 3"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1kr5/Rb6/2qp4/1N6/8/8/8/Q5K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

 1-0

[Event "ABC-369"]
[Site "Triberg"]
[Date "1921.07.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Problem 4"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/5nbR/6p1/5qP1/7Q/8/7R/6K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

 1-0

[Event "ABC-369"]
[Site "Triberg"]
[Date "1921.07.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Problem 5"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1kb5/N2R4/8/8/8/8/1r6/6K1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

 1-0

[Event "ABC-369"]
[Site "Triberg"]
[Date "1921.07.16"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Problem 6"]
[Black "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Pandolfini,Bruce"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5rk1/5R2/3b2B1/4N3/8/8/6K1/8 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "1921.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

 1-0

[Event "5th Prague Challengers"]
[Site "Prague CZE"]
[Date "2023.06.30"]
[Round "9.4"]
[White "9.1 Akash, G."]
[Black "Stalmach, Richard"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2483"]
[BlackElo "2436"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "2k1r1r1/1b3Rp1/p2bp1Np/1p1p4/2pq1BQ1/P7/1PP3PP/R6K w - - 0 22"]
[PlyCount "3"]
[EventDate "2023.06.21"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CZE"]
[EventCategory "12"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,45,19,38,43,18,28,25,72,47,7,20,18,13,13,0,49,29,27,1,-4,6,5,-37,42,
38,40,23,42,47,52,58,58,84,80,73,87,83,75,63,83,90,92,-22,26,291,294,294] [#]} 
22. Bxd6 $1 {A queen sacrifice! But with Black's king trapped, the
consequences are easily calculated.} Qxg4 23. Rc7+ ({and Black resigned. The
finish could have been} 23. Rc7+ Kd8 ({or} 23... Kb8 24. Rxc4+ {, winning
Black's queen}) 24. Ne5 Qf4 25. Rxb7 {Threatening Nc6+, ending the game.}) 1-0

[Event "Aimchess Rapid Div 2 W"]
[Site "chess.com INT"]
[Date "2023.07.10"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "9.2 Martinez Alcantara, Jose Eduardo"]
[Black "Kevlishvili, Robby"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2619"]
[BlackElo "2529"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "3rrbk1/1bq2p2/pp1p1Bpp/6N1/2P1pP2/1P4Q1/P5PP/4RR1K w - - 0 22"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2023.07.10"]
[EventType "k.o. (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,49,18,18,66,70,73,64,61,69,41,54,37,15,20,23,32,16,24,26,20,0,9,5,1,
16,18,19,28,8,6,-7,-12,-19,19,-5,5,0,-21,-25,-23,-35,-11,-1,0,0,350,367,365,
353,410,324] [#]} 22. f5 {Straight for the heart of Black's position.} Rd7 ({
If Black takes the knight, it is soon over:} 22... hxg5 23. Qh3 Bg7 24. Bxg7
Kxg7 25. f6+ {and Black gets mated.}) 23. Ne6 $1 fxe6 24. Qxg6+ Rg7 25. Bxg7 {
and Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "76th ch-RUS HL 2023"]
[Site "Novokuznetsk RUS"]
[Date "2023.06.26"]
[Round "1.6"]
[White "9.3 Ponkratov, P."]
[Black "Vetokhin, Savva"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2589"]
[BlackElo "2412"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r1b2rk1/pp3ppp/5nq1/2b5/8/1BB2N2/PQ3PPP/R3R1K1 w - - 0 19"]
[PlyCount "19"]
[EventDate "2023.06.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,55,35,22,24,24,5,3,1,15,19,9,6,-1,30,28,18,30,38,23,23,23,25,25,68,61,
25,54,58,66,78,62,76,24,55,8,17,24,266,300,293,324,317,325,299,307,307,307,313,
314,325,316,323,314,356,338,344,332] [#]} 19. Bc2 $1 {Black's queen is
surprisingly vulnerable, in part because of the loose bishop on c5.} Qh6 ({Or} 
19... Qg4 20. Re5 {, threatening the bishop and Rg5,} Qc4 21. Bb3 {and the
bishop falls.}) 20. Bd2 Qh5 21. Re5 {A fork to the bishop and queen.} Bxf2+ 22.
Kf1 $1 ({Not} 22. Kxf2 $4 Ng4+ {and Black is still in the game.}) 22... Qg4 23.
Kxf2 {Now there is no knight fork on g4.} h6 24. Rae1 Qc4 25. Kg1 Bg4 26. Bb3
Qc6 27. Nd4 Qb6 28. Ba5 {and Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "Aimchess Rapid Div 3 W"]
[Site "chess.com INT"]
[Date "2023.07.10"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "9.4 Pantsulaia, L."]
[Black "Gledura, B."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2564"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "5r1k/Np1q2b1/2r3p1/1Q1bp1p1/P7/3P1PP1/4P3/R1B2RK1 b - - 0 24"]
[PlyCount "13"]
[EventDate "2023.07.10"]
[EventType "k.o. (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[#]} 24... Qh3 $1 25. Qxd5 ({With Black's bishop hanging on d5, it would also
be logical to consider running with the king, but that runs into a brutal
refutation:} 25. Kf2 Bxf3 26. exf3 Rxf3+ 27. Kxf3 Qxf1+ 28. Ke3 Qe1+ 29. Kf3
g4+ 30. Kxg4 Qd1+ 31. Kh3 Qh1+ 32. Kg4 Qh5#) 25... Qxg3+ 26. Kh1 Rf5 $1 ({
The game continuation was} 26... Rc2 $4 27. Qe4 $4 (27. Ra2 {defends!}) 27...
Kh7 $4 (27... Rc7 {wins}) 28. Nb5 $4 Rh8 $1 {and White resigned.}) ({Black
needs to double the rooks on the f-file, but} 26... Rcf6 $2 {is not the way to
do it either, as White has} 27. f4 $3 exf4 28. Qg2 {and White survives.}) 27.
Bd2 ({If} 27. f4 {, then} e4 28. Qxe4 gxf4 {and Black wins.}) 27... Rcf6 28.
Be1 ({Or} 28. f4 Qh4+ $1 29. Kg2 exf4 30. Qe4 Qg3+ 31. Kh1 f3 {and Black wins})
28... Qh3+ 29. Kg1 e4 $1 30. Qxe4 Rf4 {and thanks to the threat of ...Rg4+,
Black wins White's queen.} 0-1

[Event "16th Philadelphia Int"]
[Site "Philadelphia USA"]
[Date "2023.06.28"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "9.5 Andriasian, Z."]
[Black "Niemann, Hans Moke"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2579"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "1r1q2k1/p2b1p1p/3p1npQ/2pP4/7N/2N2R1P/Pr3PP1/4R1K1 w - - 0 26"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2023.06.24"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,57,23,14,36,58,77,19,56,42,15,22,19,11,54,-3,17,-17,-5,-5,2,-8,0,-18,
18,-35,-35,-32,-27,-17,-15,-59,-47,-123,-123,-127,-127,-150,-103,-96,-108,-155,
-134,-179,-167,-145,-126,-134,-113,-94,-26,-18,194,596,29987,29988,29989,29990,
29991,29992] [#]} 26. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 {Black has no good alternative.} 27. Rxf7 $1
{Now White forces mate.} Kxf7 28. Qxh7+ Kf6 29. Qxg6+ {and Black resigned.} 1-0

[Event "50th NRW Cup 2023"]
[Site "Dortmund GER"]
[Date "2023.06.26"]
[Round "3.5"]
[White "9.6 Koellner, Ruben Gideon"]
[Black "Saltaev, M."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B11"]
[WhiteElo "2429"]
[BlackElo "2462"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4nk1/1p2b2p/pq2p1p1/3pP3/3P1NQ1/1P2B1P1/P1r2P2/R4RK1 w - - 0 23"]
[PlyCount "15"]
[EventDate "2023.06.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,59,24,32,70,47,56,25,89,48,80,57,46,48,72,74,72,6,-2,2,2,-1,-1,3,1,-3,
1,5,26,11,16,15,13,-3,3,0,-2,0,-14,-31,23,7,26,30,30,29,29,24,24,40,24,-320,
742,815,1029,1135,1220,1220,1220,1290,1491,1634] [#]} 23. Kg2 $1 {Preparing to
add the rook via h1 to the attack on Black's king.} Rac8 ({The alternatives
also do not work:} 23... Qc7 24. Rac1 $1 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 Qd7 26. Nh5 Rc8 27. Rxc8
$1 Qxc8 28. Bh6 Kf7 29. Qf4+ Ke8 30. Nf6+ Kd8 31. Ng8 {and White wins.}) ({or} 
23... Kf7 24. Rh1 Ke8 25. Rxh7 Nxh7 26. Qxg6+ Kd7 27. Qxc2 {and White wins
easily.}) 24. Rh1 R8c3 25. Rxh7 $1 {Boom!} Kxh7 26. Rh1+ Kg7 27. Nxg6 Kf7 ({Or
} 27... Nxg6 28. Rh6 {with forced mate.}) 28. Nxf8 Ke8 29. Nxe6 Kd7 30. Nf4+ ({
and Black resigned on account of} 30. Nf4+ Kc6 31. Rh6+ {and it is over for
Black.}) 1-0

[Event "Aimchess Rapid Div 1 W"]
[Site "chess.com INT"]
[Date "2023.07.10"]
[Round "1.5"]
[White "9.7 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek"]
[Black "So, W."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D03"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2769"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/pp3ppp/4p1n1/3p4/3P3P/2P2N2/qPQ2PP1/4RRK1 w - - 0 19"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "2023.07.10"]
[EventType "k.o. (rapid)"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,57,19,31,19,23,28,-14,-14,-1,-5,-5,6,-3,45,-7,60,43,28,30,29,18,15,15,
32,23,23,23,22,24,31,34,20,10,21,15,36,16,0,39,39,68,61,129,141,177,316,301,
206,378,380,388,396,401,835,891,1879,2107,29999,-30000] [#]} 19. h5 $1 Ne7 20.
Ng5 {It seems slow, but once the attacking train is in motion, there is no
stopping it.} g6 21. hxg6 Nxg6 ({Or} 21... hxg6 22. Qd3 Kg7 23. Qg3 {and all
of a sudden, Black, despite his solid-looking position, is defenseless, for
instance,} Nc6 24. Rxe6 fxe6 25. Qc7+ Kf6 26. Nh7+ Kf5 27. Re1 {and Black gets
mated.}) 22. f4 Rae8 23. f5 exf5 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Qxf5 Re7 26. Nxf7 {Black's
position is completely falling apart. The conclusion comes swiftly.} Qxb2 27.
Qxd5 Qb6 28. Nh6+ Kh8 29. Qg8# 1-0

[Event "50th NRW Cup 2023"]
[Site "Dortmund GER"]
[Date "2023.06.24"]
[Round "1.2"]
[White "9.8 Karthik, V4."]
[Black "Souleidis, G."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2548"]
[BlackElo "2419"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r4rk1/pp3pp1/2nb4/5b2/3PP2p/P1N2B1q/1P3P1P/R1BQK2R b KQ - 0 18"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "2023.06.24"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "GER"]
[EventCategory "7"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,54,23,-17,-20,-16,-17,-22,26,11,69,41,41,39,44,50,46,40,36,65,86,82,
80,48,124,87,119,140,140,122,117,125,125,-53,0,47,23,42,90,98,145,86,109,-253,
-418,-628,-596,-604,-604,-622,-698,-704,-715,-712,-615,-605,-584] [#]} 18...
Bc5 $3 ({The conclusion of the game saw} 18... Rfe8 19. Be3 Rad8 20. exf5 Nxd4
21. Qxd4 Qxf3 22. Rg1 Bg3 $1 {Game over.} 23. hxg3 Rxd4 24. gxh4 Rxe3+ 25. fxe3
Qxe3+ 26. Ne2 Rd2 27. Rg2 Rxe2+ {and White resigned.}) 19. dxc5 ({Or} 19. exf5
Rfe8+ 20. Be3 Nxd4 21. Be4 Rad8 22. Rg1 Rxe4 23. Nxe4 Nf3+ 24. Qxf3 Qxf3 25.
Nxc5 Re8 {and Black has a decisve advantage.}) 19... Rad8 20. exf5 Rfe8+ 21.
Be2 Rxd1+ 22. Kxd1 Rd8+ {and Black is winning.} 0-1

[Event "76th ch-RUS HL 2023"]
[Site "Novokuznetsk RUS"]
[Date "2023.07.01"]
[Round "5.16"]
[White "9.9 Khubukshanov, Erdem"]
[Black "Kobalia, M."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2398"]
[BlackElo "2569"]
[Annotator "cahan"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6k1/1b1q1rpp/pp6/2n2N2/5Pn1/8/PB2R2P/2Q2RK1 w - - 0 24"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "2023.06.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{[%evp 0,60,19,38,40,41,41,32,28,27,81,29,31,46,33,39,54,32,37,39,40,49,54,29,
37,41,70,42,6,-5,-2,-22,-22,0,-7,-22,0,-4,-9,-9,2,-39,-23,-45,22,-34,-13,-14,
106,2,111,-91,-104,-111,-111,-161,-157,-529,-490,-1048,-417,-683,-403] [#]} 24.
Rd1 $3 ({The game conclusion was} 24. Ng3 h5 $4 (24... Nd3 25. Qd2 h5 {was
correct with chances to both sides}) 25. Rd1 $4 ({White should have played} 25.
Qc2 h4 26. Rd1 {with a large advantage}) 25... Nd3 26. Rxd3 Qxd3 27. Re8+ Kh7
28. Nxh5 Rc7 29. Qf1 Qf5 30. Bd4 Qxh5 {and White resigned.}) 24... Qxf5 ({Or} 
24... Nd3 25. Qc4 {and White wins.}) 25. Rd8+ Rf8 26. Qc4+ Qf7 ({Or} 26... Kh8
27. Ree8 Ne6 28. Rxf8+ Nxf8 29. Qc3 Qb1+ 30. Qc1 Qf5 ({also} 30... Qxc1+ 31.
Bxc1 Kg8 32. Ba3 {wins}) 31. Ba3 {and White wins material}) 27. Ree8 $1 {Boom!}
Nd7 28. Rxd7 {BOOM! White forces mate.} 0-1

[Event "Ye Olde Pueblo Open"]
[Site "Tucson, AZ"]
[Date "1992.07.18"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kraai, Jesse"]
[Black "Gold, Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2373"]
[BlackElo "2256"]
[Annotator "Gold"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]
[SourceTitle "CL Sept 2023"]
[SourceDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2023.09.01"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Qe7 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Bxd2+ 7. Nbxd2 d6 8.
O-O O-O 9. e4 e5 10. d5 Nd8 {The other move is 10...Nb8. Databases cite many
games here, with White on top in most.} 11. Ne1 Ne8 12. Nd3 f5 13. exf5 {
More common is 13. b4 with White planning to roll on the queenside.} Bxf5 14.
Ne4 Nf6 15. f3 c6 16. Qb3 Kh8 17. Ndf2 c5 ({Perhaps I could have tried} 17...
cxd5 18. cxd5 b6 {, followed by ...Nd8-b7-c5.}) 18. Qc3 Nf7 19. a3 Rac8 20.
Rfd1 b6 21. Rac1 Nxe4 22. fxe4 Bd7 23. b4 Ng5 24. Qe3 Qf6 25. Rc3 h6 26. h4 Nh7
27. Nd3 Rg8 28. Rf1 Qe7 29. bxc5 bxc5 30. Rb3 g5 31. h5 Nf6 32. Rb7 Rgf8 33.
Bh3 Rcd8 34. Rxa7 Kg7 35. Be6 Ra8 36. Rb7 Rab8 37. Rfb1 Rxb7 38. Rxb7 Qe8 39.
Nf2 {A bit of a miss in time pressure? A line like} (39. Nxe5 dxe5 40. Qxc5
Qxh5 41. Qe7+ Rf7 42. Qxf7+ Qxf7 43. Bxf7 Kxf7 44. a4 {looks fatal for Black.})
39... Qc8 40. Ra7 Kh8 41. Bxd7 Nxd7 42. Ng4 Qe8 43. Nxh6 Qxh5 44. Rxd7 Qxh6 45.
Kg2 Qf6 46. Kh3 $2 (46. Qe2 {[#] looked forced, and would have led to MY BEST
MOVE:} g4 $1 {A spectacular draw could have resulted after} 47. a4 Qh6 48. Qxg4
Rf2+ 49. Kxf2 Qe3+ 50. Kg2 Qxg3+ {, but instead White perished.}) 46... Qf1+
47. Kg4 Qd1+ 48. Kxg5 Rg8+ 49. Kf6 Qf1+ 50. Ke6 Rg6+ 0-1

