[Event "Inland Classic"]
[Site "Spokane, WA"]
[Date "2024.02.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Lee, Brian"]
[Black "Donaldson, John"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D19"]
[WhiteElo "1969"]
[BlackElo "2414"]
[Annotator "Brian Lee"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,117,19,31,19,0,32,39,28,8,7,5,-4,19,16,16,25,20,36,-1,0,6,-1,-42,39,24,26,-37,-14,-37,-29,-61,-35,-55,-31,-59,-42,-108,60,35,54,70,67,74,77,33,76,46,40,54,45,51,41,60,65,65,79,62,79,91,82,97,87,64,72,61,80,69,69,70,59,53,58,65,50,50,66,66,59,23,33,41,38,39,91,79,119,139,154,167,153,160,161,183,150,99,171,231,263,274,261,170,313,295,300,137,295,318,319,310,407,527,537,551,575,563,982,1108,1145,1220]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Qe2 Nbd7 10. e4 Bg6 11. Bd3 Bh5 {Here is where my theoretical knowledge ended, but we continued to play moves that had been played before for a few more moves.} 12. e5 Nd5 13. Ne4 $6 c5 14. Ng3 ({John told me after the game he had played Black in this line before and his opponent played} 14. Bg5 Qc7 15. Rac1 h6 {I rejected this line because if White plays} 16. Bh4 (16. Bd2 Qa5) 16... Nf4 {and White loses the bishop pair.}) 14... Bg6 $6 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16. Bg5 Qa5 17. h4 cxd4 18. h5 Rfe8 $2 (18... gxh5 19. Nxh5 {Looks scary but Black has enough defensive resources.} Rfc8 20. Qe4 d3 21. Qxd3 N5b6 22. Qe4 Rc4 {is a funny engine line that keeps White from getting his Queen to the kingside to cause trouble. The text move allows White to damage Black's kingside structure, although I didn't take advantage of this very effectively.}) 19. hxg6 $1 fxg6 20. Qe4 $6 ({Stronger is getting more pieces involved with} 20. Rfd1 Rac8 21. Rxd4 {White can double rooks on the d file and also has ideas like Rh4 and Qe4 making Black's king very uncomfortable.}) 20... Nf8 21. Nxd4 (21. Rfd1 {is again a little stronger but White is still better after the text move.}) 21... Rac8 22. Rad1 $2 Rc4 (22... Qxa4) (22... Bc5 23. Nb3 Qb4 24. Nxc5 Rxc5) 23. Rd3 (23. Qe2 {Gets out of the pin and hits the rook.}) 23... Bc5 24. b3 Rxd4 25. Rxd4 Bxd4 26. Qxd4 Rc8 27. Ne4 Nc3 28. Re1 Nxe4 29. Qxe4 Qc7 $6 {It is better to keep the queen on a5 to meet White playing Re3 with Rc3.} 30. Re3 $6 ({I also considered} 30. Rc1 Qd7 31. Rxc8 Qxc8 32. Be7 {but} Qc3 33. Bxf8 Kxf8 34. Qxg6 Qxe5 {is dead equal.}) 30... b6 $6 31. Rd3 $6 (31. Rh3 {My move is not bad, but I'm not sure why I didn't play this move. White is threatening 32. Qh4.} Nh7 32. Bd2 Qc2 33. Qxc2 Rxc2 34. Rd3 Kf7 35. Bb4 Ke8 36. Bd6 {This is similar to what happened in the game, except Black's knight is out of play on h7. instead of on d7.}) 31... Qc2 32. Qd4 $6 Qc5 $2 33. Qxc5 Rxc5 34. Be7 $6 Rc7 35. Bd6 Rc1+ 36. Kh2 Nd7 $1 {Here John offered me a draw and I started having flashbacks to our round five game at the 2022 Collyer Memorial. In that game, John offered me a draw when I was in a slightly better position, which I declined and then went on to lose. I thought for a few minutes and decided to decline since there was very little risk of me losing this position (although that's also what I thought about our previous game).} 37. f4 Kf7 38. Ba3 Rc7 39. g4 g5 {Undermining the e5 pawn and stopping White from playing Kg3-Kh4-Kg5. Black has now fully equalized.} 40. Kg3 Nc5 41. Bxc5 gxf4+ $2 {I was surprised to see this move as I thought things were starting to fizzle out to a draw, but now White is suddenly clearly better if not winning.} (41... bxc5 42. a5 gxf4+ 43. Kxf4 Kg6 {White's king has been kept out of g5 and his rook has been kept off the seventh rank.}) (41... Rxc5 42. Rd7+ Kg6 43. Rxa7 Rc3+ 44. Kf2 Rxb3 {White's king has been pushed back and Black has activated his rook.}) 42. Kxf4 Rxc5 (42... bxc5 43. Kg5 c4 44. Rc3 Rc5 45. Kf4 g5+ 46. Ke4 $18) 43. Rd7+ $1 Kg6 44. Rxa7 Rc3 45. Re7 $1 Rxb3 46. Rxe6+ Kf7 $6 47. Rc6 b5 48. a5 Ra3 49. a6 b4 50. Kf5 Rf3+ 51. Ke4 Ra3 52. Kd5 $2 Rd3+ $2 53. Ke4 $1 ({Here I realized after} 53. Kc4 Rc3+ 54. Kb5 Rxc6 55. Kxc6 b3 56. a7 b2 57. a8=Q b1=Q {although White promotes first, it's not clear there is a win, since 58. Qb7+ loses. Therefore, White would have to try} 58. Qa7+ {but I didn't even try to calculate beyond this because if there is a win it is much more complicated than the line I chose. Tablebase confirms the position is drawn.}) 53... Ra3 54. Rc7+ Kg6 55. a7 b3 56. Kd3 $1 {White's king stops the b pawn and it's all over.} Ra2 57. Kc3 Rc2+ 58. Kxb3 Rxc7 59. a8=Q 1-0

[Event "Inland Classic"]
[Site "Spokane, WA"]
[Date "2024.02.25"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Billaux, Eric"]
[Black "Lee, Brian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B82"]
[WhiteElo "2057"]
[BlackElo "1969"]
[Annotator "Brian Lee"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{Although my game against John Donaldson was my highest quality game from the tournament, this was my most exciting.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bd3 e6 7. f4 Nbd7 8. a4 b6 9. O-O Bb7 10. Kh1 Qc7 11. Bd2 Be7 12. Qe1 O-O 13. Qg3 Nc5 14. e5 $2 {This opens up the position in Black's favor. White will lose the bishop pair after Black takes on d3 and the a8-h1 and a7-g1 diagonals are wide open for Black's bishops.} Nh5 15. Qe1 $2 (15. Qe3 $1 {This looks awkward but it is the only way not to lose a pawn} dxe5 16. fxe5 Nxd3 17. cxd3 Bc5 18. Nce2 a5 {(to prevent 19. b4)} 19. Qg5 {Black is better but White has avoided disaster.}) 15... dxe5 16. fxe5 Nxd3 17. cxd3 Rfd8 $2 {Wrong rook, which should have been obvious to me since the f-file is half open and I need this rook for defense. This gives almost gives up my whole advantage but fortunately my opponent didn't exploit my mistake.} (17... Rad8 18. Be3) 18. Nb3 $4 {Bad both tactically and positionally. The knight is completely misplaced, and Black has some tactics here that I saw but didn't quite solve.} (18. Qf2 $1 {is the only move to keep the balance, immediately taking advantage of Black's rook not being on f8.}) 18... g6 $2 (18... Rxd3 19. Qe2 {I spent a ton of time trying to find a good continuation here. I looked at} Rh3 ({I also looked at} 19... Rg3 {but again after} 20. Rf2 {I couldn't find a good continuation.}) ({I also briefly looked at throwing in} 19... Qc6 {but didn't see how this changed anything after} 20. Rf2 {My rook and knight are still both hanging. So I reluctantly rejected taking on d3. What does Stockfish say $2 All three moves win of course $1 Each line, however, involves the same idea of playing Rh3 (either immediately or after Rg3 or Qc6) followed by simply Rh4. I kept looking for a crushing blow, got tunnel vision, and missed this relatively simple move.}) 20. Kg1 Bc5+ 21. Nxc5 Qxc5+ 22. Qf2 {and couldn't find a good continuation.}) (18... Qc6 {was also a strong option.} 19. Qf2 f5 20. exf6 Nxf6 $19) 19. d4 $2 ({Once again missing} 19. Qf2) 19... Ng7 20. Qf2 $6 {This move has no bite now since Black can play Nf5} Nf5 21. Be3 Qc6 22. d5 $6 Rxd5 $1 {A strong and forced exchange sac.} (22... exd5 $4 {Is positionally horrific and justifies White's last move. The a8-h1 diagonal, is closed and White establishes a blockade on d4.} 23. Nd4 Qd7 24. Nxf5 Qxf5 25. Qxf5 gxf5 26. Bxb6 Rd7 27. Bd4 $14) 23. Bxb6 (23. Nxd5 Qxd5 $19 {Black has more than enough compensation for the exchange and should win.}) 23... Rxe5 $6 (23... Bh4 {is stronger but Black is still winning after my move.}) 24. Na5 Rxa5 $1 {Sacrificing the exchange again, and this time White is forced to accept it.} 25. Bxa5 Ne3 $4 26. Rg1 $4 {White misses his last opportunity to take advantage of my rook not being on f8.} (26. Qxf7+ Kh8 27. Rf3 ({If} 27. Ne4 {immediately, then} Qxe4 28. Rf3 Bg5 29. Bc3+ e5 {Apparently this is equal, but to me it just looks like a mess}) (27. Rf2) 27... Rf8 28. Qxe7 Rxf3 29. Ne4 $1 {I missed this move, and I assume it's what my opponent missed too because without it Black is still better, but now White wins.}) 26... Bc5 (26... Nc4 {wins a piece, but my move still wins.} 27. b4 Nxa5 28. bxa5 Qxc3) 27. Qe2 h5 28. Rac1 Ng4 29. h3 Qd6 $1 {A nice way to finish the game. 0-} 0-1

[Event "Oregon Girls Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.02.04"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Narendran, Neha"]
[Black "Tang, Zoey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "1366"]
[BlackElo "2332"]
[Annotator "Zoey Tang / Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,70,23,30,49,49,103,72,70,70,58,47,14,-11,14,-2,-1,-5,13,-8,-16,-37,-48,-100,-106,-101,-112,-121,-70,-111,-107,-107,-119,-122,-110,-121,-100,-211,-223,-353,-378,-387,-364,-362,-357,-363,-363,-380,-368,-415,-380,-380,-423,-439,-313,-457,-488,-696,-476,-524,-388,-390,-282,-417,-383,-395,-301,-886,-886,-29989,-29990,-29991,-29992] G45+inc5 Variations provided by Zoey Tang, words provided by Wilson Gibbins.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Nc6 5. Nge2 e6 6. h3 Be7 7. O-O d5 8. exd5 exd5 9. Bb5 O-O 10. Ng3 (10. Bxc6 {keeps things closer to equal than the game continuation - White gets to double Black's pawns in exchange for giving up the bishop pair. In the game continuation White gets stuck with the doubled pawns.}) 10... Nd4 11. a3 a6 12. Ba4 b5 13. Bb3 Bb7 (13... Nxb3 14. cxb3 d4) 14. Nce2 Nxb3 15. cxb3 d4 16. Nf4 g6 $1 {eliminating the h5 square as a destination for White's knights} 17. Re1 Qc7 18. Qe2 Bd6 {Black wins a knight, the reward for her move 16...g6.} 19. Nfh5 ({Ok, so} 19. Qd2 {retains the knight for a little while, but after} Rae8 20. Nfe2 Qc6 21. f3 Re3 {White is awfully tied down, and} 22. Qc2 Rxf3 23. gxf3 Qxf3 {leads to bad things happening in the neighborhood of White's king.}) 19... Nxh5 20. Nxh5 gxh5 21. Qxh5 Kh8 22. Qf5 f6 23. Bh6 Rf7 24. Re2 Rg8 25. f3 Qd7 26. Qh5 Rg6 27. Kf2 Re7 28. Rae1 Rxe2+ 29. Rxe2 Be5 30. Kf1 c4 31. bxc4 bxc4 32. dxc4 d3 33. Re1 d2 34. Rd1 Qd3+ 35. Kg1 Qe2 0-1

[Event "Idaho Closed (State Championship)"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2024.02.19"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Machakos, Seth"]
[Black "Machin, Alex"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "1822"]
[BlackElo "1758"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2024.02.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,59,19,38,25,16,14,23,25,0,4,0,9,17,17,-32,-29,-5,-8,-36,-14,-20,-24,-11,2,-11,16,2,23,2,89,36,69,55,94,20,99,-36,11,71,71,58,67,56,84,46,46,-69,0,-84,-241,-262,-518,-503,-542,-540,-532,-569,-542,-1227,-1322,-1324]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. c3 Bc5 8. Bg5 h6 9. Bh4 d6 10. O-O g5 11. Bg3 Qe7 12. h3 $6 {Weakens g3 and provides a hook for Black's intrepid g-pawn. White does better to avoid kingside advances and press in the center and queenside, meeting ...h5 with h4 as needed.} Ba7 13. Nbd2 Nh5 $6 (13... O-O-O $13 {Black should be pretty happy about the opening.}) 14. Bh2 $6 ({The retreat must have seemed necessary, but in fact White has a small tactical opportunity:} 14. Nxe5 $1 Nxg3 (14... Nxe5 15. Qxh5 Nxd3 16. a4 $14 {with dynamic play.}) 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. Re1 {and not only does the knight have no immediate escape route, the loose bishop on c6 can also be exploited if Black tries to extricate the steed:} g4 17. d4 $1 Nh5 $2 ({better} 17... gxh3 18. fxg3 $14) 18. Bd5 $1 Qd7 $2 19. Bxc6 ({or} 19. Qxg4 Qxg4 20. hxg4 $18) 19... Qxc6 20. Qxg4 Nf6 21. Qg7 Ke7 22. e5 $1 {with dangerous attack to compensate for the small material invested.}) 14... Nf4 15. Bxf4 gxf4 {After the exchange on f4, Stockfish grants White a positional advantage, presumably based on the doubled black f-pawns and isolated h-pawn. While these features do exist, I disagree with the practical evaluation. Both sides have the same general plan: to break through and attack the other guy's king. Black now has the bishop-pair, generally aimed in the right direction, and the open g-file with available rooks to double on it. The position may be objectively unclear -- it may even favor White, in the universe of computer chess -- but between human beings Black has a far easier time finding and executing his plan.} 16. Bd5 Rg8 17. d4 Rg7 18. Kh2 O-O-O 19. a4 Rdg8 20. Rg1 b4 21. Qe2 Kb8 22. Qc4 Qd7 23. cxb4 $6 {Better to continue maneuvering.} Bc8 ({A direct threat. Black could also try} 23... Nxd4 24. Bxb7 Kxb7 25. Nxd4 Bxd4 26. Qe2 f5 $15) 24. Nh4 $2 (24. Kh1 Nxd4 25. Nxd4 Bxd4 26. Bc6 Qe7 27. Bd5 {threatens Qc6. Black can accept repetition with ...Qd7, or try something more radical to avoid the draw, such as} c5 $5 $13) ({Of course not} 24. Qxc6 $4 Rxg2+ $1 25. Rxg2 Qxh3+ 26. Kg1 Qxg2#) 24... Nxd4 25. b5 $2 ({Missing the main threat, but by now even} 25. Nf5 c6 $1 26. Bxc6 (26. Nxg7 cxd5) 26... Qxc6 27. Nxg7 Rxg7 $17 {is still a big plus for Black.}) 25... Rxg2+ $3 26. Rxg2 Qxh3+ 27. Kg1 Rxg2+ 28. Nxg2 f3 $1 29. Nxf3 (29. Ne3 Ne2+) 29... Nxf3+ 30. Kf1 {and resigns, due to the fork coming on d2.} 0-1

[Event "Idaho Closed (State Championship)"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2024.02.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Henderson, Michael"]
[Black "Lange, Brian"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]
[WhiteElo "1800"]
[BlackElo "1507"]
[Annotator "Brian Lange"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2024.02.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
[TimeControl "30/120:0"]

{[%evp 0,52,19,38,42,37,48,9,-13,-20,-8,-6,33,-33,-36,-9,-11,0,-5,-26,59,62,62,48,61,26,94,-144,-159,-159,-197,-224,-255,-222,-229,-269,-184,-184,-151,-203,-135,-229,-113,-113,-144,-376,-388,-396,-391,-396,-408,-481,-533,-576,-543]} 1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 {This invites white to play into the Icelandic Gambit. Black appears to over-attack the d5 pawn with the knight and queen and tempts white to protect it by playing 3. c4. White is a pawn up but watch out what happens next. If instead white plays 3. Nf3, then we slide into a standard Scandanvian opening with 3. ... Qxd5 4. Nc3.} 3. c4 e6 4. dxe6 Bxe6 {Let's go! Gambit accepted! Now black has to prove that the accelerated development is worth losing a central pawn.} 5. Nf3 Nc6 {Black should play 5. ... Qe7, which is hard to swallow as the f8 bishop is stuffed in the corner. I wanted to focus on rapid development and chose Nc6 intead.} 6. b3 $2 {Better is 6. Be2 or 6. d4. Piece development is about to be completely lopsided!} Bc5 {Four pieces out for black! Bishops have wide-open diagonals and knights are poised for central outposts.} 7. Be2 Qe7 {Five pieces out for black! The queen x-ray attacks the white king and protects the c5 bishop.} 8. O-O O-O-O {Black has completed development with the queen-side castle and also provides an open file for the rook on d8! White's d2 pawn is now pinned against the queen and all the queen-side pieces are still on their original squares.} 9. a3 $2 {White threatens a pawn storm to push the Bishop on c5 off its strong square. Black doesn't want the bishop to retreat to b6 where white's pawns can cancel the bishop. If you play a gambit, you have to play to push the attack!} Ne4 {Threatens f2 to potentially trade white's rook and pawn for a knight and bishop. With the d2 pawn pinned, white's knight on b1 has no where to go. Rhe8 is also really tempting with rooks on open central files.} 10. b4 {The pawn storm continues but still no more pieces are being developed by white.} Qf6 {The rook on a1 is hanging like fruit from a low-hanging branch. Now the c1 bishop has no where go to either.} 11. Ra2 {White's only good move and begins the counter-play with Bb2 finally freeing the bishop. Black's bishop is hanging on c5 so the choice was between 11. ... Nxf2 12. Rxf2 Bxf2 or 11. Bd6. Black's knight and bishop are very active and white's rook and pawn are very passive. This alone was enough for me to keep the bishop and knight and hope for more active attacks, even though my friend Stockfish says this is a blunder.} Bd6 $4 12. Bb2 Ne5 {Although white is starting to wake up, black has a beautiful southern-cross formation in the middle of the board...} 13. c5 $4 {...which provokes white to blunder with c5. Possibly hoping for Be7? leaving the e5 knight unprotected, but there are many attacking lines for black to take advantage of here. Now the fireworks start!} Bxa2 {Haymaker!} 14. cxd6 {Counter-punch!} Nxf3+ $1 {Upper-cut!} 15. Bxf3 {Another counter-punch!} Qxb2 {Left hook!} 16. Bxe4 {Body blow!} Rxd6 $1 {Another upper-cut! As the dust starts to settle, black's formation is gone but he's up the exchange and the rook on d6 is waiting to be doubled with Rhd8. Will White be able to deliver an effective counter-attack?} 17. Qg4+ Be6 {Kb8 is considered better but I felt this was a good opportunity to bring the bishop back into the game, hitting white's queen for an extra tempo.} 18. Qf3 {Bishop battery aiming at b7 and check.} c6 19. Nc3 Qxa3 $2 {I thought 19. ... Qxd2 looked bad due to 20. Rd1 hitting the queen and the rook is hanging, but 20. ... Qxc3 21. Rxd6 Qe1++.} 20. Rb1 {White's pieces are all pointing at b7, so I felt it was time to skiddladle my king away. But be careful! If the king goes to any of the black squares like c7 or e7, white can play Nd5+! and the black queen is gone.} Kd7 21. b5 {White has pulled together an effective plan for a counter-attack. b5 is a natural continuation.} cxb5 22. Bxb7 $2 {I thought Rxb5 was coming but determined that the bishop taking the b7 pawn wasn't an issue since the c6 and c8 squares are both double-covered by the rooks, so the king is safe.} b4 $1 {Protecting the queen and attacking the knight. Now I can trade queens and white's attack fizzles.} 23. Nb5 Qxf3 24. Bxf3 Rxd2 {Although white's knight was forking the queen and rook, black was able to escape.} 25. Nxa7 {White probably was averse to moving the rook to prevent a back-row mate, but the b4 pawn was the best thing to grab as now it's an advanced passed pawn.} b3 26. Nb5 b2 {White said he had seen enough. I threw everything I could at white and we shook hands. I thought Michael was a very gracious player and was glad I could try out a rare gambit opening on a strong opponent and have it pay off with a win for black! 0-th a win for black!} 0-1

[Event "Idaho Closed (State Championship)"]
[Site "Boise, ID"]
[Date "2024.02.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Wannamaker, Linus"]
[Black "Machin, Alex"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "1533"]
[BlackElo "1758"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2024.02.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "6"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,80,19,-12,-12,-11,-26,-29,-29,-29,-23,-18,12,-3,-6,-5,0,-3,-3,-6,34,-6,7,-19,-19,-32,-24,-13,-1,-24,9,22,10,-21,6,1,1,1,139,114,99,109,142,117,262,162,195,195,279,79,133,51,126,84,61,-256,-246,-276,-227,-308,-260,-268,-289,-283,-309,-355,-384,-384,-272,-877,-870,-902,-930,-934,-952,-996,-1012,-1055,-887,-927,-1130,-1399,-1425]} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. d3 O-O 9. Be3 f5 10. Rb1 Be6 11. a3 a5 12. Na4 e4 13. Ne1 Nd5 14. Bd2 Nd4 15. e3 Nxe3 16. Bxe3 Bb3 17. Qd2 Bxa4 18. dxe4 Nb3 19. Qc3 Kh8 20. e5 f4 21. gxf4 Ra6 22. Kh1 Rg6 23. Be4 Rg4 24. Nf3 Rgxf4 25. Bxf4 Rxf4 26. Rbd1 Qf8 27. Ng5 Bxg5 28. Bg2 c6 29. e6 Be7 30. Rd3 h6 31. Re3 Nd4 32. Qxa5 Bb5 33. Rd1 Nf5 34. Rf3 Rxf3 35. Bxf3 Ne3 36. Bh5 Nxd1 37. Bf7 Nxf2+ 38. Kg2 Ng4 39. a4 Bc4 40. Qh5 Bd5+ 0-1

[Event "Oregon Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.02.18"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Tang, Zoey"]
[Black "Haessler, Carl"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2333"]
[BlackElo "2200"]
[Annotator "Zoey Tang"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,46,44,32,20,-14,34,18,9,9,58,50,22,19,12,20,62,57,75,73,88,81,83,88,84,82,94,107,89,107,93,102,85,91,91,95,106,90,86,97,117,91,119,91,106,194,179,181,223] G100+inc30} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Nbxd2 exd4 7. Bxc4 Nh6 8. O-O O-O 9. Nb3 Qe7 10. Nbxd4 Qxe4 11. Bd3 Qf4 12. Qc2 Na6 $6 13. Bxh7+ Kh8 14. Bd3 Nb4 15. Qc5 Qd6 16. Qxd6 cxd6 17. Bc4 Bd7 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. Bb3 a6 20. h3 Rfd8 21. g4 (21. Ng5 {another idea} Kg8 22. Rd2 Nc6 23. Rad1 Na5 24. Bd5) 21... Kg8 $2 22. g5 Nf5 23. g6 Nxd4 24. gxf7+ Kf8 25. Rxd4 Nc2 26. Bxc2 Rxc2 27. Rxd6 Rc6 28. Rd3 Rg6+ 29. Kh2 Rf6 30. Ne5 Rxf2+ 31. Kg3 Re2 32. Rxd7 Rxd7 33. Nxd7+ Kxf7 34. Nc5 Rxb2 35. Rf1+ Kg6 36. Rf2 Rb5 37. Ne6 Ra5 38. Rb2 b5 39. Kg4 Kf6 40. Nf4 g5 41. Nd5+ Kg6 42. Nc3 Ra3 43. Rc2 Kh6 44. Ne4 Ra4 45. Kf5 b4 46. Rc6+ Kg7 47. Rc7+ Kh6 48. Rc6+ Kg7 49. Rb6 (49. Rc7+ {rook & knight mate} Kh6 50. Kf6 Rxa2 51. Rc8) 49... Ra5+ 50. Kg4 Rxa2 51. Rxb4 a5 52. Rb7+ Kg6 53. Rb6+ Kg7 54. Kh5 a4 55. Rb7+ Kf8 56. Nf6 1-0

[Event "Oregon Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.02.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Haessler, Carl"]
[Black "Breckenridge, Steven"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "2281"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,58,19,38,25,24,1,12,19,4,4,-7,11,-58,-26,-7,5,-10,-5,-5,-3,-35,-13,-82,-92,-80,-72,-96,-57,-187,-178,-216,-190,-199,-192,-251,-254,-250,-264,-301,-247,-286,-251,-263,-257,-267,-161,-137,-140,-136,-131,-140,-140,-138,-141,-131,-152,-287,-272,-356,-336]} 1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 {Carl usually gets off the beaten path early in the opening, and it initially appears that this game will be no exception.} Nf6 3. d3 Bc5 4. Nf3 d6 5. c3 Nc6 6. Bb3 a6 7. O-O Ba7 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. h3 {Surprise! The game has transposed back to a mainstream Slow Italian variation that could have begun 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3} Be6 10. Kh2 $6 h6 11. Ng1 $2 d5 {Steven increases his central influence.} 12. Qe2 Qd7 13. f4 $2 {Initiating a kingside attack, but Steven's central control and solid development allows him to repel the barbarians at the gate.} dxe4 14. dxe4 exf4 15. e5 Nd5 16. Bxd5 Qxd5 17. Ngf3 Bf5 18. Nb3 Bd3 19. Qd1 Rad8 20. Re1 Qc4 21. Nbd4 Nxd4 22. cxd4 Bc2 23. Qd2 g5 24. b3 Qd3 25. Qxd3 Bxd3 26. Ba3 Rfe8 27. Rad1 Bb5 28. d5 Bf2 29. Re4 f5 {Black's two bishops' control of the board means that White will have to part with an exchange.} 0-1

[Event "Oregon Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.02.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Tang, Zoey"]
[Black "Breckenridge, Steven"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E73"]
[WhiteElo "2333"]
[BlackElo "2281"]
[Annotator "Wilson Gibbins"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{Going into this round six game, both players are undefeated, but Steven has conceded two draws leaving Zoey a full point ahead. Steven needs a win, and Zoey can be content with a draw. We can expect Steven to try to create complexity, and Zoey to try to keep control.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. Be2 ({Black is trying to tempt White into playing} 5. e5 {but after} Ne8 {Black is well on his way to equality, and sometimes more. The best-known example of this is} 6. f4 d6 7. Be3 c5 8. dxc5 Nc6 9. cxd6 exd6 10. Ne4 Bf5 11. Ng3 Be6 12. Nf3 Qc7 13. Qb1 dxe5 14. f5 e4 15. fxe6 exf3 16. gxf3 f5 17. f4 Nf6 18. Be2 Rfe8 19. Kf2 Rxe6 20. Re1 Rae8 21. Bf3 Rxe3 22. Rxe3 Rxe3 23. Kxe3 Qxf4+ {0-1 Letelier Martner,R-Fischer,R Olympiad-14 Preliminaries D Leipzig 1960 (8) if 24.Kxf4, then Bh6 is checkmate.}) 5... d6 6. Be3 c6 7. h3 e5 8. d5 b5 $5 {This move illustrates the character of the King's Indian Defense. If the game degenerates into a positional grind, White's space advantage gives her the advantage. But King's Indian players always have opportunities to unleash chaos and Steven's move captures the spirit of the defense.} 9. dxc6 b4 10. Nd5 Nxc6 {White's space advantage has been reduced, at the cost of a backward d-pawn.} 11. Bg5 Nd4 12. Nf3 Nxe2 13. Qxe2 Be6 14. Rd1 Bxd5 15. Rxd5 {Despite Steven's best efforts, Zoey has maintained control of the position.} b3 {Steven is still finding ways to create confusion. With White's king still in the center, an accident still might occur.} 16. axb3 Rb8 17. Qc2 Qb6 18. Bxf6 Bxf6 19. O-O {Zoey eliminates the king safety risk.} Qxb3 20. Qxb3 Rxb3 21. Rxd6 Kg7 22. Ra1 Rxb2 23. Rxa7 Re2 24. Raa6 Bd8 25. Ra8 Be7 26. Rxf8 Bxd6 {Despite the reduced material and Zoey's extra pawn, Steven is still trying to stir up trouble. Zoey can't keep the extra pawn, and maybe Steven can coordinate his bishop and rook to win Zoey's f-pawn.} 27. Rc8 {Nope - Zoey quashes Black's play by preventing Black's Bishop from reaching the c5 square.} Rxe4 28. Kf1 Bb4 29. g3 h6 30. c5 Kf6 31. g4 Rc4 32. Rc6+ Kg7 33. Nxe5 Rxc5 34. Rxc5 Bxc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Oregon Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.02.17"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Gibbins, Wilson"]
[Black "Omori, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A10"]
[WhiteElo "2201"]
[BlackElo "2173"]
[Annotator "Michael Omori"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,81,29,-25,22,27,9,-17,42,24,22,19,25,-4,53,24,42,42,36,49,44,52,64,52,53,53,44,36,32,26,57,48,68,40,34,34,17,37,30,24,17,13,7,5,0,-2,-11,-10,0,-30,-44,-42,-41,-41,-41,-45,-22,-34,-25,-32,-24,-84,-94,-95,-43,-22,0,-8,6,0,20,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0] All variations and notes provided by Michael Omori unless prefixed by WG, indicating Wilson Gibbins.} 1. c4 {I was happy to get a rematch with Wilson with colors reversed. WG - Michael beat me with White last June at the Portland Summer Open in game where I was never able to create any problems for him to solve.} b6 {A rare first move against the English} 2. Nc3 Bb7 3. e4 Nf6 {I go for the sharpest line, though probably not the best} 4. e5 $1 {The best move in the position, putting the question to the knight} Ne4 5. Nxe4 (5. Qf3 Nxc3 6. Qxb7 Nc6 7. dxc3 a6 8. g3 Ra7 9. Qxc6 dxc6 10. Bg2) 5... Bxe4 6. Nf3 (6. Qg4 {This move makes the most sense putting pressure on the g pawn and kicking the bishop with tempo, but it does put the queen at some risk} Bb7 7. d4 Nc6 8. Nf3) 6... c5 $5 {This move is a little slow and helps white gain pressure on the d file later on in the game} (6... Nc6 {This natural developing move would've been slightly better with a very interesting exchange sack plan} 7. Be2 (7. Ng5 Bf5 8. Qf3 (8. Be2) 8... e6) (7. d3 Bxf3 8. Qxf3 Nxe5) 7... Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nxe5 9. Bxa8 Qxa8 10. O-O Nd3 11. Qe2 Nf4 12. Qg4 Qe4 13. Kh1 h5 14. Qf3 Qxf3 15. gxf3 $17) 7. Be2 Bb7 $6 {Inaccuracy. Qc7 was best.} (7... Qc7 8. d4) 8. d4 cxd4 9. Qxd4 Nc6 10. Qf4 Qb8 {I played qb8 instead of qc7 because I was afraid of e6, but I had nothing to worry about according to the engine} (10... Qc7 11. e6 Qxf4 12. exd7+ Kxd7 13. Bxf4 f6 14. O-O-O+ Ke8 15. Rhe1 e5 16. Bg3 Rd8 17. Rxd8+ Kxd8) 11. Bd2 {A good prophylactic move to support the e5 pawn with the bishop} g6 12. Bc3 Bg7 13. Qe3 {stepping out of the pin and preventing f6} (13. O-O f6) 13... O-O 14. O-O ({WG - I looked at} 14. Rd1 {and in retrospect, wished I had played it.}) 14... Rd8 $6 {Inaccuracy. d6 was best.} (14... d6) (14... f6 {another possibility I considered, where black will have two central pawns, but they will be hard to push due to white's control of the center} 15. Rfd1 Qc7 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. Rac1) 15. Rad1 Qc7 16. Rd2 $6 {Inaccuracy. h4 was best.} (16. h4 h5 17. Rd2 Rac8 18. Rfd1 Na5 19. b3 Bxf3 20. Bxf3 Nc6 21. Rd5 d6 22. e6 Bxc3) 16... d6 {relieving the tension and getting rid of the pesky e5 pawn} 17. exd6 $6 {Inaccuracy. e6 was best.} (17. e6 f6 {white's pawn on e6 looks a little loose, but is a huge thorn in black's camp, and cannot be easily removed}) 17... Rxd6 18. Rxd6 Qxd6 19. Rd1 Qc7 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. h4 {White has a slight edge, controlling the open files, while black's king is slightly weak and has to worry about potential h5 h6 possibilities} Rd8 22. Rxd8 Nxd8 {The purpose of this move instead of capturing with the queen was to prevent c5} (22... Qxd8 23. h5 f6 24. h6+ Kf7 25. c5) 23. Nd4 (23. h5 f6 24. h6+ Kf7 25. Nd4 Qe5 26. Qxe5 fxe5) 23... Qc5 {inviting the chance to get into a tricky position with qc3} 24. Nc2 (24. Qc3 e5 25. Nb5 Nc6 26. Bf3 (26. a3 a6 27. b4 Qe7) 26... Nd4) 24... Qxe3 25. Nxe3 {Wilson trades into an equal endgame} Ne6 26. b4 h5 27. g3 {WG - my attempt to allay my greatest fear, his king invading on e5 and d4, will be to try to control e5 with a pawn on f4.} Kf6 (27... Nd4 28. Bd1 e5 {This would've been slightly better according to the engine to gain space and give the e pawn its chance to promote down the line}) 28. f4 Nd4 29. Bd3 e5 30. fxe5+ $6 {Inaccuracy. Kf2 was best. The most natural move, but to my surprise, the engine says black now has a comfortable game. This is probably because black's king is invading now. WG - yeah, I should have remembered my greatest fear that I described in the note to move 27.} (30. Kf2 exf4 31. gxf4 Ne6 32. Kg3 Ba8 33. a3 Bc6 34. Nc2 Bb7 35. Ne3 Nd4 36. Kf2 Ke6) 30... Kxe5 31. Kf2 Ne6 $6 {Inaccuracy. Be4 was best. A waste of a tempo, but my idea was kd4} (31... Be4 32. Bf1 (32. Bxe4 Kxe4 {This variation would've given black a comfortable game, although it is still probably drawn with best play} 33. c5 bxc5 34. bxc5 Nc6 35. g4 hxg4 36. Nxg4 Kd5 37. Ke3 Kxc5 38. Kf4 Kd6) 32... Nc6 33. a3 Kd4 34. g4 Ne5 35. gxh5 gxh5 36. c5 bxc5 37. bxc5 Kxc5 38. Ng2) 32. Nc2 g5 33. hxg5 Nxg5 34. Ke3 Be4 35. Nd4 Bxd3 36. Kxd3 Ne4 37. Nc6+ Kf5 38. Ne7+ (38. Nxa7 Nxg3 {This variation was an alternative but is still equal and more complicated} 39. c5 bxc5 40. bxc5 Ke5 41. c6 Kd6 42. Ke3 Nf5+ 43. Kf4 Nd4 44. Kg5 Nxc6 45. Nxc6 Kxc6 46. Kxh5) 38... Ke5 39. Nc6+ Kf5 40. Ne7+ Ke5 41. Nc6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Oregon Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.02.19"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Haessler, Carl"]
[Black "Russell, Corey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2200"]
[BlackElo "2217"]
[Annotator "Corey Russell"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 10,56,43,43,51,51,51,51,55,31,70,70,72,51,49,43,46,37,36,6,6,6,6,0,0,0,0,-34,-29,-39,-23,-133,-133,-133,-133,-128,-128,-190,-190,-209,-209,-287,-287,-287,-284,-398,-398,-1070,-1070]} 1. e4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. Bc4 d6 4. O-O e6 5. Re1 Nd7 6. d4 {LiveBook: 4 Games} h6 7. Nc3 Ne7 8. a4 {White is slightly better.} a6 9. Ne2 d5 10. exd5 {Note black can't play 10. ... exd5? 11. Bxd5! Nxd5 12. Nf4+ Ne7 13. Nd5 and whtie's winning. -cjr} Nb6 11. Bb3 {[#] And now d5xe6 would win.} Nbxd5 12. c4 Nb4 13. a5 O-O 14. Ng3 c5 $1 15. Be3 {[#] Threatens to win with d4-d5.} cxd4 16. Nxd4 Nec6 17. Nxc6 Nxc6 18. Qc1 Nxa5 19. Ba4 b5 $36 {Black has some pressure.} 20. Rd1 (20. cxb5 $11 axb5 21. Bc2) 20... Qh4 $17 21. cxb5 axb5 22. Bc2 {Of couse white plays this instead of 22. Bxb5? Nb3 is deadly. -cjr} Bb7 23. Rd7 (23. Bd2 $17 Nc4 24. Bc3) 23... Bc6 $19 24. Rc7 {This traps the rook. Better is 24. Rd1 but black is still better. -cjr} Be5 25. Rxc6 Nxc6 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 27. f4 (27. Bd3 $142 Na5 28. Nf1) 27... Bd4 28. Be4 $2 (28. Bxd4 Nxd4 29. Be4) 28... Qxf4 {Precision: White = 27%, Black = 86%.- Fritz The point is white can't take due to the pin but black is threatening either mate or win of white queen and there is no defense. -cjr} 0-1

[Event "Oregon Closed"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2024.02.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Tang, Austin"]
[Black "Polasek, Preston"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2059"]
[BlackElo "2000"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2024.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,39,19,23,71,58,71,73,88,49,71,53,36,46,57,55,54,23,26,45,87,77,107,57,84,66,116,103,102,81,125,124,181,181,199,224,912,1020,1217,2112,2148,537]} 1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 c6 4. f4 (4. Nf3 Bg4 5. h3 Bh5 6. Be2 (6. g4 Bg6 7. Qe2 e6 8. h4 h5 9. g5 Nfd7) 6... e6 7. O-O Be7) 4... Qa5 5. Bd3 e5 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. Be3 Nbd7 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Be7 10. O-O O-O 11. Kh1 (11. Ne2) 11... Rac8 12. g4 exf4 13. Bxf4 Ne8 14. Rae1 a6 15. e5 d5 16. Bh6 Qd8 17. g5 Nc7 18. Bxg7 Ne6 19. Qf5 Nxg5 20. Bxf8 1-0

