[Event "2025 Oregon Closed Challengers"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.02.16"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Buchanan, Jack"]
[Black "Russell, Corey"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Fritz 16 and Corey Russell"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "1968"]
[BlackElo "2200"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[GameId "2179637156843643"]
[EventDate "2025.02.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 19,104,47,156,156,139,142,131,25,22,-15,-5,-21,193,201,216,204,213,198,203,192,223,123,107,108,81,84,121,121,98,-35,-35,-228,-202,-231,-217,-282,-270,-255,-154,-230,-247,-440,-436,-443,-459,-498,-539,-530,-537,-730,-700,-691,-656,-625,-605,-911,-865,-990,-965,-1164,-939,-1670,-29981,-29983,-29984,-29984,-29985,-29986,-29987,-29987,-29988,-29989,-29989,-29989,-29990,-29990,-29987,-29987,-29988,-29988,-29989,-29989,-29990,-29990,-29991,-29991,-29992] All comments/variations/evaluations are Fritz 16's unless followed by my initials (cjr) - cjr} 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5 4. d4 Nc6 5. Nf3 cxd4 6. cxd4 e5 7. Nc3 Bb4 8. Bd2 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 e4 10. Ne5 Nh6 {While I recognize that . ..Nxe5 is probably better it seemed to offer white good chances with little to lose so seemed like a long defensive battle so I didn't want to go into that - cjr} ({Black should play} 10... Nxe5 $14 11. dxe5 Ne7) 11. Bc4 $16 Qd6 12. O-O O-O 13. Nxc6 (13. Qh5 $16) 13... bxc6 $11 14. Qd2 (14. f3 $142) 14... Ng4 15. g3 {Threatens to win with Bb4.} Be6 $2 {Fritz is of course correct ...Rfd8 is best. -cjr} (15... Rd8 $11) 16. Bb4 $18 {Skewer} Qd7 17. Bxe6 Qxe6 18. Bxf8 Rxf8 19. Qf4 {I don't think the wandering around of the white queen is the answer here. Just 19. f3 and it seems hard to get compensation for me. Note the Q on d2 also covers h2 so she's really aready doing a good job where she is. -cjr} f5 20. h3 ({Better is} 20. f3 $18 Nf6 21. fxe4 fxe4 22. Qf5) 20... Nf6 $16 21. Qe5 {Prevents Nd5} Qd7 {When down matarial it's usually best to avoid trades. This also sets up a nasty trap ... Nd5 and white queen would be trapped with ...Re8 -cjr} 22. Qc5 f4 {[#]} 23. Kh2 $1 ({Not} 23. gxf4 Qxh3 24. Qa3 Qf5 $17) 23... Nd5 24. g4 (24. Rae1 $16) 24... f3 $15 {And now ...e3 would win. Black has compensation.} 25. Rae1 {White is on the road to losing.} (25. Rac1 $1 $15 Rf6 26. Rg1) 25... Qc7+ $19 26. Kh1 {[#]} e3 27. Qc2 (27. fxe3 $2 {perishes.} Qg3 28. Qc2 f2 $19 (28... Qxh3+ $2 29. Qh2 $19) (28... Qxh3+ $2 29. Qh2 $19)) (27. Rc1 e2) 27... e2 28. Rg1 Kh8 {aiming for ...Nf4.} 29. Qe4 {White was low on time for 1st time control and offered a draw here. My winning chances seemed excellent so declined -cjr} (29. Qc5 $17 Qf4 30. g5) 29... Qf4 30. Qxf4 (30. Qd3) 30... Nxf4 {Endgame. KRR-KRN} 31. Kh2 Nd3 32. Kg3 Nxe1 33. Rxe1 {KR-KR} g5 34. b3 Kg7 35. b4 Rf6 {This is the maneuver white had missed. This move protects c6 and f3 pawns and also enables the black king to walk to the queenside (without interfering with the protection of his f3 pawn) and pick up pawns or to get to d2 to promote his pawn. As long as black responds to any h4 with ...h6 the white king is bottled up and the white rook must always guard the 1st rank. It's over -cjr} 36. a4 Kf7 37. b5 cxb5 38. axb5 Ke6 39. h4 h6 {Hoping for ...Kd6.} 40. hxg5 hxg5 41. Ra1 {Black mates.} Kd5 42. Re1 Kxd4 43. Rc1 Re6 44. Re1 Kd3 45. Kxf3 Kd2 46. Rxe2+ Rxe2 {KR-K3P} 47. Kg3 Re5 48. f4 Re3+ 49. Kf2 gxf4 50. g5 Kd3 51. g6 Ke4 52. b6 axb6 0-1

[Event "2025 Oregon Closed Challengers"]
[Site "Portland, OR"]
[Date "2025.02.17"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Nobles, William"]
[Black "Tabet, Roger"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Roger Tabet"]
[ECO "B35"]
[WhiteElo "1906"]
[BlackElo "2134"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[GameId "2179635365249036"]
[EventDate "2025.02.14"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,84,25,16,71,40,33,6,92,92,75,66,56,39,50,26,26,23,47,-13,-17,-82,-85,-108,-107,-117,-120,-120,-99,-99,-90,-114,-112,-111,-95,-92,-81,-81,-24,-20,10,14,7,1,-15,35,22,-21,7,-41,52,9,-8,-82,-82,-109,-109,-98,-103,-101,12,0,89,-69,-31,-76,15,-20,-20,-33,-48,-49,-47,-97,-54,-73,-112,-109,-77,-114,-128,-285,-106,-395,-323,-601,-626]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nge2 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3 a5 9. h4 $2 {A uncommon move. It feels too early.} a4 $1 (9... h5 $10 10. f3 d5 $1) 10. Bxa4 $146 Nxe4 $1 (10... Rxa4 $2 11. Nxa4 Qa5+ 12. c3 $14) 11. Nxe4 Rxa4 12. c3 Qa5 $1 $17 13. Nb3 Qf5 $6 (13... Qa8 $1 {Such an unnatural move, but the correct move. It keeps the pressure on a2 and wins a pawn.} 14. Nec5 (14. Nd4 Nxd4 15. cxd4 b5 $1 $17) 14... Rxa2 15. Rxa2 Qxa2 $17) 14. Ng3 Qb5 $1 15. Nc5 $6 Rc4 $1 16. Nd3 $1 Ne5 $1 (16... d5 $1 {Also very good.} 17. Qb3 Qa6 18. Nc5 Qa5 19. Nd3 Bxc3+ $1) (16... d6 $1 17. Qb3 Qa6 18. Rd1 Be6 $17) 17. Nxe5 Qxe5 $6 $15 (17... Bxe5 18. Rb1 d6 19. Ne2 Bf5 $1) 18. Qd2 f5 $6 {Actually not good. b5 was much better. Now this is equal.} (18... b5) 19. Ne2 $1 $10 {Controling f4 and d4.} Qa5 $10 (19... f4 20. Bd4 Qe4 $2 21. f3 Qf5 $10) (19... Qc7 {Was good too.} 20. O-O-O f4 $1 $17 21. Nxf4 Rfxf4 22. Bxf4 Qxf4 23. Qxf4 Rxf4 24. f3 $17 {I thought this was a hard win but the computer likes it a lot.}) 20. h5 $3 (20. O-O-O $2 Qxa2 21. Bd4 Qa1+ 22. Kc2 Qa4+ 23. Kb1 e5 $19) (20. Bd4 e5 $1) 20... Rf6 $3 {[%cal Gf6e6,Gf6d6] This move came naturally. It protects the g6 pawn. and does a second-round rook lift in the same game by preparing to go to either d6 or a6 etc.} 21. hxg6 hxg6 $1 22. Bh6 Bh8 $1 23. O-O-O $1 $15 (23. Bf8 $1 $10 {Such a tricky move} Rxf8 (23... Rf7 $1 $10 {This works too} 24. Qh6 Bf6 $1 $17) 24. Rxh8+ $1 (24. Qh6 $4 Kf7 $1) 24... Kxh8 25. Qh6+ Kg8 26. Qxg6+ Kh8 $10 27. Qh6+ (27. O-O-O $4 Rh4 $1) 27... Kg8 $10) 23... Rd6 $3 24. Qg5 $2 (24. Qc2 $1 {Was best}) 24... Rxd1+ $6 {To deviate the h1 rook.} (24... Bxc3 $3 25. Rxd6 (25. Nxc3 Rxc3+ $3 26. Kb1 Ra6 $3 27. a3 Rxa3 28. bxa3 Qxa3 $19) (25. Kb1 Bxb2 $19) 25... Bd2+ 26. Kb1 Bxg5 $19) 25. Rxd1 {[%csl Gg6,Ge7]} Kf7 26. Nf4 $4 $17 {a3 or Kb1 was =. Now this loses a pawn.} Rxc3+ $1 27. Kb1 Rc6 $1 {The only move to protect c6 and move the rook out.} 28. Nd5 $1 $17 {After all this, I am completely on the defensive, but with a pawn up. Can I get that bishop out into the action without giving back the pawn?} Qc5 $1 {[%csl Ge7][%cal Gc5c2]} 29. Qd2 $7 {Only move to cover c2 and d5} (29. Qc1 $2 {[%csl Gf2][%cal Gc5b5,Gc5c1]} Qxf2 $1) 29... e6 $4 $14 {A bad move. Now white is better or just one move long.} (29... d6 {Much better to be able to get the bishop out.} 30. Nf4 Qb5 $1 31. Qd5+ Qxd5 32. Nxd5 e5) (29... Rd6 $2 30. Bf4 e5 31. Be3 Qb5 $10) 30. Nb4 $1 {Incredible move on a weird square.} Rc7 $6 (30... Rb6 $4 31. a3 $3 $16 (31. Be3 $4 Qxb4 32. Bxb6 Qxb6 33. Rc1 Qd8 34. Qc2 Qb6 $1 $10) 31... d5 $4 32. Rc1 $18) (30... Qb5 $1 {Was correct} 31. Nxc6 bxc6 $14) 31. Nd3 $4 $10 Qd4 $10 32. Be3 Qe4 33. f3 Qd5 34. Bb6 $6 (34. Bf4 d6) 34... Rc6 35. Bd8 $5 {[%cal Gd2g5,Gg5e7,Gd8e7] Such a weird idea to use the d8-h4 diagonal to get in with the queen} e5 $1 {[%cal Gd5e6,Ge6e7] e5 allows the control of f6 against Qg5 and e7 can be defended by Qe6} 36. Qe1 Qe6 $2 $15 (36... e4 $1 {was better. But too complex with 4 mn left on the clock.}) 37. Qh4 $2 Bg7 $17 38. Re1 d6 $6 (38... f4 $1 39. Nxf4 $2 Qf5+ $19) 39. Nf4 {[%cal Ge6d7,Ge6e8]} Qd7 $1 40. g4 $4 {I think he was trying to complicate things even further to play on my clock.} (40. Nd5 $1 Rc5 41. Nf4 {[%csl Ge7]} Rc6 42. Nd5 f4 $1) 40... Rc4 $4 $17 {Based on intuition with 1 mn on the clock.} (40... fxg4 $1 41. fxg4 (41. Rf1 Qf5+ 42. Ka1 {[%csl Ge7]} exf4 43. Qe7+ Kg8 44. Qe8+ Qf8) 41... Rc4 $1) 41. Nxg6 $4 (41. Nd5 $1 Rc5 $17) 41... fxg4 $7 {The only move.} 42. Qh5 $2 (42. Nh8+ {Was better to try this but still does not work.} Kg8 43. Ka1 Qf5 44. Ba5 Bf6 45. Qh6 Bxh8 $19) 42... Qf5+ 0-1

[Event "2025 7th Buckendorf Senior Championship"]
[Site "Boise, Idaho"]
[Date "2025.05.17"]
[Round "3.1"]
[White "Mayer, Zygmond"]
[Black "Gabbara, Faris F"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "1976"]
[BlackElo "2016"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[GameId "2178747126796820"]
[EventDate "2025.05.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. g4 e5 2. Bg2 Nc6 3. c4 Bc5 4. e3 d6 5. Nc3 Be6 6. d3 Qd7 7. h3 Nge7 8. a3 a5 9. Nge2 Bb6 10. Bd2 O-O {The position is balanced, with White's pawns, bishop, and knight offering good control over central light squares. Black plans to open the f-file with an ...f5 lever, which highlights a potential drawback of White's first move.} 11. Na4 $6 ({Definitely the wrong direction for this knight. On a4 it is a target, and its thematic central influence vanishes. There are several ideas that are more positionally consistent with the structure, including} 11. Nd5 Ba7 12. g5 $5) (11. Ng3 f5 12. Bd5 $5) ({and} 11. Qa4 f5 12. O-O-O $5 {when White offers a pawn or two to solidify the central light squares and open some kingside files.}) 11... Ba7 12. Qb3 $6 Rab8 (12... b5 $1 {is pretty good here, immediately pointing out the problems with developing the queen to b3.}) 13. Nec3 f5 $1 14. gxf5 (14. O-O-O $5 fxg4 15. hxg4 Rxf2 16. Be4 {may not offer quite enough attack, but at least it gets messy. Admittedly this idea would be better if that a4-knight was closer to the kingside action....}) 14... Nxf5 15. Bd5 Nh4 ({Black can start the big attack now, with} 15... Bxd5 $1 16. cxd5 (16. Nxd5 Nfd4 17. exd4 Nxd4 18. Qd1 Nf3+ 19. Ke2 b5 $19) 16... Ncd4 17. Qd1 (17. exd4 Nxd4 18. Qa2 b5 {This move keeps cropping up.}) 17... b5 $19) 16. O-O-O Rxf2 $1 17. Ne4 ({Black had to calculate lines such as} 17. c5 $5 Bxd5 18. Qxd5+ (18. Nxd5 Rf7) 18... Rf7 19. Rdf1 $15 {and be confident that there was an edge.}) 17... Rxd2 $3 18. Kxd2 ({It's marginally better to try} 18. Nxd2 Bxe3 $17) 18... Nf3+ 19. Kc3 ({If} 19. Ke2 Ncd4+) 19... Bxe3 20. Nf6+ ({White can escape into a hopeless endgame with} 20. Bxc6 Qxc6 21. Qb5 Qxb5 22. cxb5) 20... gxf6 21. Bxf3 Nd4 22. Rdg1+ Kh8 23. Qd1 b5 {Hello.} 24. b3 (24. cxb5 Qxb5 $19) 24... bxa4 25. b4 axb4+ 26. axb4 Nf5 27. Re1 Bd4+ 28. Kd2 Rxb4 29. Bg4 Rb2+ 30. Kc1 Ra2 31. Qf3 c6 32. Rhf1 Qb7 {It's mate in two from here.} 0-1

[Event "2025 7th Buckendorf Senior Championship"]
[Site "Boise, Idaho"]
[Date "2025.05.17"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Gabbara, Faris F"]
[Black "Presutti, Michael J"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "2016"]
[BlackElo "1600"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[GameId "2178747126796816"]
[EventDate "2025.05.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Bf4 Qb6 (6... Bg4 {is the normal move here, generally continuing} 7. Qb3 {, when Black can choose between 7...Qc8, 7...Qd7, or 7...Na5 (or perhaps even 7...Qb6) with decent chances.}) 7. Qd2 {A slightly odd defense of b2, as it interferes with development of the b1-knight.} Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Na3 (9. Ne2) 9... a6 ({Black doesn't really need this preventative, as} 9... e6 10. Nb5 $6 Rc8 {promises White nothing.} 11. Nd6+ $2 Bxd6 12. Bxd6 Nxd4) 10. Ne2 e6 11. O-O Be7 (11... Bxa3 12. bxa3 Na5 {is interesting.}) 12. Rfe1 Rc8 13. Bg5 O-O 14. Nf4 Bg6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. Nc2 Rfd8 17. Be3 Qc7 18. a4 Bd6 19. Bg5 Ne7 ({Black defends and waits. A more active choice is something like} 19... e5 $5 20. dxe5 Nxe5 21. Nd4 {. It's easy to reject a line like this, because the position opens up, White hs the bishop-pair, and Black's pawns are variously isolated and doubled. Yet Stockfish likes this, claiming complete equality. Why? Black's good coordination, centralized knights, safe king, and play on the half-open c-file, along with a very tiny edge in development, probably are clues. White will have trouble holding onto both bishops (and Black's not in a huge hurry to exchange one, either), and that isolated pawn isn't coming under real pressure anytime soon.}) 20. Re2 Kf8 21. Ne1 Re8 22. Nf3 Nd7 23. Rae1 Nc6 {White has made progress coordinating and completing development over the last four moves, and can look for a breakthrough.} 24. Nh4 Nf6 25. Nxg6+ $5 fxg6 26. Bxg6 Ne4 (26... Re7 27. Bxf6 gxf6 28. Qh6+ Kg8 29. Rxe6 Rxe6 30. Rxe6 Qg7 31. Qh5 $16) 27. Rxe4 $1 dxe4 28. Rxe4 Kg8 $2 ({Limit the damage:} 28... Ne7 29. Bxe8 Rxe8 30. Rxe6 $14) 29. Qe2 Re7 ({Now} 29... Ne7 30. Bxe7 Qxe7 31. Qh5 Qd7 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. Qh8+ Ke7 34. Qh4+ Kf8 35. Re3 $18) 30. Qh5 1-0

[Event "2025 7th Buckendorf Senior Championship"]
[Site "Boise, Idaho"]
[Date "2025.05.17"]
[Round "2.3"]
[White "Lange, Brian S"]
[Black "Nakashima, Anthony Kenji"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "1651"]
[BlackElo "1205"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[GameId "2178747126796815"]
[EventDate "2025.05.17"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. Nd5 Nc6 4. a3 Be7 5. d3 Nf6 6. Nxe7 Nxe7 7. Nf3 Ng6 8. g3 O-O 9. Bg2 c6 10. O-O Re8 11. Bd2 d6 12. b4 a6 13. Ng5 h6 14. Ne4 Bf5 15. Nc3 Qd7 16. e4 Bh3 17. Qf3 Bxg2 18. Kxg2 h5 $6 (18... Qe6 {(to defend the threat of Bxh6 and Qxf6)} 19. h3 Rad8 $15) 19. Bg5 Qg4 20. Bxf6 $4 ({White misses the intermezzo rejoinder.} 20. Qxg4 Nxg4 21. h3 Nf6 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23. Nd1 $14) 20... Nf4+ $1 {and it's pretty much over. Black wins the queen.} 21. Qxf4 exf4 22. h3 Qg6 23. Bh4 f5 (23... Qh6) 24. Rae1 d5 25. Ne2 ({Better, but still losing, is} 25. cxd5 $19) 25... f3+ 26. Kxf3 fxe4+ 27. Kg2 exd3 28. Nf4 Qf5 (28... Rxe1 29. Nxg6 d2) 29. cxd5 Rxe1 30. Rxe1 cxd5 (30... d2 31. Rd1 Qe4+ 32. Kh2 Qc2) 31. Rd1 g5 32. Bxg5 Qxg5 33. Rxd3 Qf6 34. Rxd5 Qc6 35. Kh2 Qc2 36. Kg2 Rc8 37. Rg5+ Kf7 38. Nxh5 Qe4+ 39. Kh2 Rc1 40. g4 Rh1+ ({A slightly faster king hunt begins} 40... Qh1+ 41. Kg3 Rc3+) 41. Kg3 Qd3+ 42. f3 Qf1 43. Rf5+ Ke7 44. Nf4 Qe1+ 45. Kg2 Qg1# 0-1

[Event "PNWCC IM Norm RR - Apr 2025"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2025.04.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Degenbaev, Aziz"]
[Black "Georgiev, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Aziz Degenbaev"]
[ECO "C34"]
[WhiteElo "2289"]
[BlackElo "2371"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[GameId "2173802928787521"]
[EventDate "2025.??.??"]

{This game was played in the PNWCC IM norm tournament held in Bellevue. I was playing white against a grandmaster Vladimir Georgiev. Going into this round, I was sick a little and got crushed in previous round, I was serious about this game and chose to play a very interesting opening to present a compelling game.} 1. e4 e5 2. f4 {King's Gambit!} exf4 3. Nf3 Ne7 {Having only prepared for 30 minutes before the round, I was unfamiliar with this line and had to rely entirely on my own calculation from here.} 4. d4 d5 5. Bd3 dxe4 6. Bxe4 Ng6 7. Nc3 $6 (7. Qe2 $5 {Asking what he is going to do with his king.} Be7 8. h4 $5 {With a little advantage in development, initiating kingside expansion was a logical continuation. For example,} h5 9. Bxg6 fxg6 10. Bxf4 O-O 11. Qc4+ Kh7 12. Qxc7 $13 {With an unclear game.}) 7... Bd6 8. Qd3 $2 {An inaccuracy. I should have played more aggressive since I sacrificed a pawn. Now black is just better.} (8. h4 $5 {Same expansion for the same reason as I mentioned previously.} O-O 9. h5 Ne7 10. Ne5 Bxe5 11. dxe5 Qxd1+ 12. Nxd1 $11 {Just equal. Pawn on f4 is falling and white have two bishops, but also a weak pawn on e5.}) 8... O-O 9. Bd2 c6 10. Bxg6 $2 {Giving a pawn and now two bishops. The evaluation clearly favors Black, and White has no compensation.} (10. O-O-O f5 11. Qc4+ Kh8 12. Bd3 b5 13. Qb3 {Though White is at a slight disadvantage, the game is still far from over, and White can seek counterplay.}) 10... hxg6 11. O-O-O Bf5 12. Qf1 {I had no choice.} Na6 13. a3 Nc7 14. Ne5 {I aimed to avoid giving Black attacking chances, exchange a bishop to neutralize some pressure, and then start an aggressive expansion with h4 and g4.} Nd5 15. Qf3 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 Bxe5 $2 {Exchanging the bishop was a serious inaccuracy for Black, as it allowed White to neutralize the pressure. Black lost their advantage, and the position is now roughly equal} (16... Bc7 {Instead, Black should have played this, preserving the pressure and the pair of bishops for a strong advantage. For instance,} 17. g4 Be6 18. Rhg1 Bd5 19. Qf1 a5 $18) 17. dxe5 Qg5 18. Rd4 Be6 {There was a key moment where I took some time to evaluate whether exchanging queens was the best option or if I could maintain the pressure without simplifying the position.} 19. Rxf4 Bd5 20. Qg3 {I decided to exchange queens on g3, aiming to open my h-file. With opposite-colored bishops on the board, the key factor became who could generate the stronger attack.} Qxg3 21. hxg3 g5 22. Rf5 Be6 {My opponent offered a draw here, but maybe as someone noticed, I always prefer to play for a win. I thought I could always accept a draw later if needed, and in the meantime, I decided to try to gain as much as possible from the position.} 23. Rff1 {Here I found some interesting tactic.} ({Of course not} 23. Rxg5 $2 g6 {Rook is in a trap}) 23... Rad8 24. Rh2 Rd7 25. Bb4 Rfd8 26. Be7 $1 {Creating a cage for the king.} Rxe7 27. Rfh1 f5 28. Rh8+ Kf7 29. Rxd8 Bd5 30. Rf1 $2 {Just helping my opponent. In this moment, I overlooked the fact that when you have a big advantage, you should never relax or lose focus.} (30. Kd2 Rxe5 31. Rd7+ Re7 32. Rxe7+ Kxe7 33. Rh8 $18) 30... Rxe5 {I now realized I didn’t have enough time to prevent the rook from getting to e2 and still be able to win the pawn on b7.} 31. Rd7+ $6 {Slowly losing advantage.} (31. g4 f4 32. g3 Ke7 33. gxf4 $1 gxf4 34. Rb8 $16) 31... Kg6 32. Rf2 b5 33. Rxa7 Kh5 34. Rxg7 Kg4 {Now position is nearly equal.} 35. Rd2 Re1+ 36. Rd1 Re2 (36... Re3 {More accurate} 37. b3 Rxg3 38. Kb2 Rxg2 39. a4 Be4 40. Rc1 Kf3 $11 {The difference is that my rook is now on c1, when in actual game it was on d2.}) 37. b3 Rxg2 38. a4 bxa4 39. bxa4 Be4 40. Rd2 Rxg3 41. Kb2 c5 42. a5 f4 $4 {A very serious mistake. Now black losing.} (42... Rh3 {Instead, he should have brought his rook behind my pawn and then focused on pushing his own pawns toward promotion.} 43. a6 Rh6 44. a7 Ra6 $13) 43. a6 f3 44. Re7 Ba8 45. a7 Rg2 46. Rd8 f2 47. Rf7 Be4 48. a8=Q Bxa8 49. Rxa8 Kg3 50. Raf8 g4 51. Kb3 {Zugzwang!} 1-0

[Event "Eastside Open"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.03.01"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Wang, Ted"]
[Black "Toppen-Ryan, Harrison"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Harrison Toppen-Ryan"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2263"]
[BlackElo "1914"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[GameId "2180822993387693"]
[EventDate "3.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {Sicilian Rossolimo Variation. When playing lower rated players, I typically see the Alapin (2.c3 or 2.Nf3 3.c3) variation in order to avoid theory. The Rossolimo becomes more popular once you play the WA State masters and 1800+ rated players.} Nf6 $5 {The fourth most popular move, but one that gets interesting positions. ...3.Nf6 is a fighting choice with bringing out a piece and attacking the e-pawn right away! In this case, White does not have time to build up with c3 and d4 like in typical Rossolimo positions.} 4. Bxc6 {Other variations White could play are 4.d3, 4.Nc3 and 4.e5.} dxc6 5. d3 Bg4 {it's important to play this move before White gets a chance to play h2-h3. Black's most difficult piece to develop is usually the light-squared bishop—getting it on g4 where it could go to h5 and g6/f7 is a small win for Black.} 6. Nbd2 Nd7 $5 {Black wants to play f6 and e5 here in order to have more control over the center, alongside giving his King flexibility on where to castle.} 7. h3 Bh5 8. b3 e5 9. Bb2 f6 10. Nc4 Qc7 11. g4 Bf7 {Black's dark-squared bishop is now a fine piece. Bxc4 is now an option if I don't believe that the light-squared Bishop will have any future.} 12. Nh4 O-O-O $5 13. Qf3 g6 {Stopping Nf5 ideas but also weakening the f6-pawn.} 14. a4 Be7 (14... Bg7 {was probably slightly better—getting the bishop on the longer diagonal and defending the e-pawn.}) 15. Ng2 Bxc4 (15... Nf8 $2 16. Bxe5 fxe5 17. Qxf7 {Allows White to win a pawn.}) 16. bxc4 Nf8 {Now there's no lose f7 bishop for White to tactually take advantage of. Black's idea is to improve their worst piece by re-maneuvering the Knight to f8-e6-d4/f4 where it will be a strong piece.} 17. g5 $6 {I'm was and still a bit confused on what White's idea was here, I tried to look to see if ...Qf7 or ...Qg4 ideas were dangerous for me, but couldn't see anything concrete. This move just simply gives up a pawn if anything.} fxg5 18. Ne3 (18. Qg4+ Kb8 19. h4 gxh4 20. Nxh4 Bf6 21. f4 h5 22. Qg2 Qd6 23. fxe5 Bxe5) 18... Ne6 19. Qg4 Qd6 20. h4 $6 {Another weird pawn move on the Kingside. I decided to not grab the other pawn and instead go for more activity.} h5 (20... gxh4 {is still good for Black, but I wanted more.}) 21. Qg3 Nd4 22. c3 $2 {This move makes White's position unplayable. White needs to rest the strong knight on d4 and keep the d3-pawn defended. This is a great exercise if you want to cover up the rest of the game and try and solve for Black's best move.} Ne2 $3 {"A bolt from the blue!" as Fischer would describe it. The knight is heading to f4 with an attack on White's queen. When you're opponents king has not castled, try to find ways open up the center. Here this reveals the batter on White's now weak d3-pawn.} (22... Ne6 {is also good for Black if they want to go for a more positional approach.}) 23. Qh3+ (23. Kxe2 {is no better due to} Qxd3+ 24. Kf3 Rhf8+ 25. Kg2 Qxe4+ 26. Kg1 Rf3 27. Qg2 Rd2 $40 {Black would have a irresistible attack.}) 23... g4 $1 {in-between move} 24. Qf1 (24. Nxg4 $2 {is not working for White thanks to} Nf4 $1 {in-between move again} 25. Qg3 Qxd3 $3 {threatening mate on e2} 26. Qxd3 Nxd3+ $19 {Everything is hanging in the White camp.}) 24... Nf4 {d3 is now a massive weakness.} 25. d4 {Desperation. No better is} (25. O-O-O Rhf8 $19) 25... cxd4 26. Ba3 (26. O-O-O d3 27. Rd2 Rhf8 28. Kb1 Qe6 29. a5 Bc5 30. a6 b6 31. Bc1 Bxe3) 26... Qe6 27. Nd5 {Pure desperation!} Bxa3 28. Rxa3 cxd5 29. cxd5 Qb6 30. Qc4+ Kb8 31. Rb3 Rc8 $1 {White resigned. Black trades down the queens by force and will be a piece and a pawn up in a better position. White can't even go for any counterplay in the center with:} 32. Qxc8+ Rxc8 33. Rxb6 axb6 34. cxd4 $4 {because Black wins a Rook with:} Rc1+ {Conclusion: 1. Find ways to improve badly placed pieces. Black's 6.Nd7 followed by the knight going to ...f8-e6-d4 was a textbook example of improving bad pieces. 2. If your opponent's king is not castled yet, OPEN up the position using FORCING moves. Black would not have won this game as quickly without his ...22.Ne2 resource.} 0-1

[Event "Eastside Open"]
[Site "Bellevue, WA"]
[Date "2025.03.01"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Toppen-Ryan, Harrison"]
[Black "Lee, Megan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Harrison Toppen-Ryan"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "1914"]
[BlackElo "2334"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[GameId "2180822993387694"]
[EventDate "3.??.??"]

{Before the game, I had gone to the park and took a walk with my wife during the sunset. I believe that helped me with my play and performance that you're about to dive into.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 $5 {My opponent typically doesn't play the Grünfeld Defense. I was still ready for the challenge since this opening is known for being one of Black's best responses to 1.d4 openings.} 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bd2 $5 {Instead of pushing the pawn on e4 right away, White prepares this move with the intention to capture with the bishop. From here it will challenge Black's strong Bishop on g7. The pawn formation on d5 and e4 will also restrict the rest of Black's minor pieces and hinder their development.} (5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 {is the main line.}) 5... Bg7 {A sparing game I played against fellow WA State Expert Kai Pisan went} (5... c5 $5 6. dxc5 $1 Bg7 7. Qb3 $5 Nc7 $2 (7... Be6 {is best, giving up the b-pawn}) 8. e4 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. Rd1 Bd7 11. Nf3 Qc8 12. Be2 {And Black didn't have enough compensation for the pawn.}) 6. e4 Nxc3 7. Bxc3 c5 8. d5 Bxc3+ (8... O-O {is considered a more accurate move order, although not by much.}) 9. bxc3 e6 10. Bc4 exd5 11. Bxd5 (11. exd5 $6 {is not good because after} O-O 12. Ne2 Nd7 13. O-O Nb6 {and White will lose their c4-bishop in worse conditions than in the game. White's passed d-pawn is not as impressive as it could have been.}) 11... Nd7 $5 {This and 11.O-O seem to be the strongest continuation.} (11... Qf6 12. Qd2 O-O 13. Ne2 $5 $14) 12. Qb3 O-O 13. Ne2 $5 {I've given this move this annotation not for the move itself but for the context behind it. After this move was made, the Knight landed awkwardly on the e2-square. I adjusted the piece after I had already hit my clock. My opponent then correctly informed me that I was not allowed to adjust pieces after I've completed my move with hitting the clock. I was not aware of this rule and felt slightly embarrassed. This is now something that I will remember in the future.} Nb6 (13... Nf6 {was also playable with a similar idea.}) 14. O-O Qc7 (14... Nxd5) 15. c4 Nxd5 16. cxd5 {We have an interesting imbalance. White has a connected passed d-pawn while Black has a connected passed c-pawn and a 3 versus one majority on the queenside. Black also has a light-squared bishop against a Kingside Knight. Here are the standard plans for both colors in these types of positions: White: - Get the passed d-pawn to d6 and the e-pawn to e5. Push f2-f4 to reenforce the center. - Try to improve the f3-knight by putting it on e4 or d5 where it could potentially take advantage of Black's weak dark-squares around her King. Black: - Find a way to Blockade White's passed d-pawn. This is harder to do with Rooks/Bishops than with Pawns/Knights, however. - Get the queenside pawns rolling with moves like b7-b5 and c5-c4. A King & Pawn endgame with Black's King on d6 would be a win for Black since her three versus one majority on the queenside would be enough for a win.} Bg4 (16... Re8 17. Nc3 {and black cannot play f7-f5 yet due to d5-d6+ ideas.}) 17. f3 {It's in White's best interest to not continue trading peices since I wanted to get my knight centralized in this semi-closed position.} (17. Nc3 {May even be better since it gets the knight in a more active square and stops b7-b5 ideas for now.}) 17... Bd7 {Here I felt White was slightly better due to my impressive center. That feeling began to fade after} 18. Rac1 $6 (18. a4 $1 {Delays b7-b5 ideas for Black.} a6 19. a5 $1 Bb5 20. Rfe1 {White would have a bind on the b6-square and the center.}) 18... b5 $1 $132 {I should have respected this idea by Black more. My opponent now executes the correct plan and now chances are unclear.} 19. Qc3 Rac8 20. e5 b4 21. Qe3 Bb5 {This move improves a bad piece and threatens c5-c4. Even stronger is the immediate:} (21... c4 $1 22. Ng3 (22. Nd4 $2 Qc5) 22... c3 23. Nh5 $5 gxh5 24. Qg5+ {is a perpetual.}) 22. f4 Rfe8 23. Rfd1 {White also improves a piece.} f6 $2 {Black begins a change of plans and ties to fight against the White's center. But Black needs to stick to the plan that she had already committed to and go for complications on the queenside.} (23... c4 24. Ng3 $13 {is extremely unclear.}) 24. d6 Qf7 25. Rd2 $2 {I was scared about the Black queen eyeing my a-pawn. If I let it be captured then White would have three (!) connected passed pawns on the queenside. But White still has play with their strong center.} (25. Ng3 $1 fxe5 26. fxe5 c4 (26... Qxa2 $2 27. Ne4 $1 $36) 27. Qd4 {and Ne4 follows with a strong initiative.}) 25... fxe5 26. fxe5 Qf5 $4 {This is the move where things began to go wrong for Black. The queen attacks the e5-pawn but does so on an awkward square that will come with consequences later.} (26... Qe6 {Sets up a bit of a blockade, but after} 27. Rxc5 Rxc5 28. Qxc5 Qxe5 29. Qxe5 Rxe5 30. Nf4 {this position looks slightly better for White as the passed d-pawn its still a threat. However, Black will still easily defend with a draw as the likely result.}) 27. Rd5 $1 {Attacking c5, defending e5, and improving (centralizing) a piece all at once!} Bd7 28. Ng3 {The knight hits the queen with tempo, showing to downside of Black's previous 26.Qf5 move. Once again the knight landed awkwardly but this time on the g3-square. I almost adjusted the piece after hitting my clock, but caught this and stoped myself at the last possible moment. Not least of all before making the awkward movement with my right arm. This kingside knight is cursed!} Qf7 29. Ne4 $1 {Tactically improving the knight once again with tempo. The knight will soon penetrate decisively on the dark-squares.} Kh8 (29... Qxd5 30. Nf6+ {is a family fork.}) 30. Qd2 {I knew I didn't need to rush here. Nothing wrong with improving more of your pieces when in a better, closed position like this one.} (30. Nf6 $4 Qxf6 $1 $19 {the e-pawn is pinned.}) 30... c4 31. Rf1 Qg7 {I had worried that 31.c3 was strong for Black. But after looking deeper I saw that this move was crushed by:} (31... c3 32. Rxf7 cxd2 33. Nf6 $1 Rc1+ 34. Kf2 d1=N+ 35. Rxd1 Rxd1 36. Rxh7# {mate.}) 32. Nf6 Rf8 33. Qxb4 {Now Black's counterplay is gone.} Rb8 34. Qc3 Bf5 35. Rc5 {Rook's belong on open files.} Bd3 36. Re1 Rb7 37. e6 $3 {The farther passed pawns are down the board, the more valuable they are! Here Whiite can part with his f6-knight in order to promote one of his pawns.} Qxf6 (37... Rxf6 38. Rc8+ Rf8 39. Rxf8# {mate.}) 38. Qxf6+ Rxf6 39. d7 Rb8 40. Rc8+ Rf8 41. Rxf8+ {1-0 Black resigned. It's hopeless after} Rxf8 42. e7 Rb8 43. e8=R+ {The pawns promote. Conclusion: 1. At tournaments, take walks in between rounds if you have the time. It makes your mind relax and less stressed out for the next game. 2. Understand to NOT adjust pieces when it's not your move. Only adjust when it's your turn. 3. Passed pawns involve knowing when to trade and when not to. If you're the only player with a passed pawn, TRADE minor pieces. If both sides have passed pawns, try to evaluate whose minor pieces will be better placed later on in the game. 4. Find ways to IMPROVE your WORST placed pieces. Moves like 21.Bb5 by Black, 27.Rd5 and 28.Ng3 followed by 29.Ne4 by White are all examples of improving bad pieces. 5. Be CAREFUL when deciding to mix/change plans. Black began to deviate from her original plan with the queenside pawn steamroller with 23.f6 and 24.Qf7, which is when problems for her position began. Staying committed to the queenside pawns would have lead to a more unclear, but with better chances for Black. 6. The FURTHER a passed pawn is advanced up the board, the more VALUABLE it is. 37.e6 proves this point by departing with White's f6-knight, but promoting in return. This is one of the most memorable games of Chess I have ever played and will most likely will ever play. I hope that it made an impression on you and it did to me. - Coach Harrison} 1-0

[Event "WA State Championship (Sensations)"]
[Site "Seattle, WA"]
[Date "2025.02.15"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sankrithi, Vivaan"]
[Black "Gui, Joyce"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Vivaan Sankrithi"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "1109"]
[BlackElo "611"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[GameId "2168389321191641"]
[EventDate "2025.02.08"]
[EventRounds "7"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

{[%evp 0,44,19,31,19,14,16,26,14,11,11,13,8,3,16,7,15,-1,-3,-8,2,0,-4,-20,-19,-14,-12,-34,-3,-33,25,-38,-8,-23,39,0,42,-35,45,30,40,-25,515,461,29997,29998,29999] Hi Friends, My name is Vivaan Krishna Sankrithi, and I am 7 years old. I won the Sensations section of the State Championship on tiebreaks and wanted to share my 5th round game vs Joyce Gui, who also tied for first. I had the white pieces and we were both at 3/4 and tied for first heading into this game.} 1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Bf4 Bf5 {I have been playing the Jobava London opening for about half a year now. I like it because I can follow this pattern against lots of variations and there are a lot of fun traps with Nb5 ideas and sac-ing the Queen on the d5 pawn to family fork with Nxc7. Joyce didn’t play into any of these traps.} 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Bxd3 6. cxd3 {I took with pawn here because I can always play e4 to challenge the center.} Bb4 7. Nge2 O-O 8. Qc2 {I played this move because I like to castle the opposite direction as my opponent to build attacks on the king.} Nc6 9. O-O Re8 10. Rfd1 {I played this move to support an e4 pawn push.} Nh5 11. Nb5 {I am not worried about ...Nxf4 as I can also play Nxf4 and activate my knight further.} Nxf4 12. Nxf4 a6 13. Nc3 Ne7 14. e4 Rc8 15. Qe2 c6 16. Qg4 {Overall, the position felt pretty equal, so I decided to put more pieces on her kingside to set up a big attack. Nh5 is a sneaky tactic in my plan. Do you see why?} g6 17. Nh5 f5 18. Qg5 Rf8 19. Ne2 {Coach Tim always tells me to bring more pieces to support my attack so I am bringing my other knight to the kingside.} Kh8 20. Nef4 {I’m pretty sure Joyce should’ve played ...Ng8 here, and she may have been fine, but she made a blunder on this coming move.} gxh5 21. Nxe6 {You might think I’m just going to try to win an exchange here, but I have a sneakier plan! Do you see it?} Rg8 22. Qf6+ Rg7 23. Qxg7# {Interestingly I sacrificed pieces in all five of my wins in this tournament! I hope you all enjoyed my game. I hope to play with you in the future! Vivi} 1-0

