[Event "WA State Championship (Championship)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2026.02.06"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Willy, Stephen"]
[Black "Kona, Vidip"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Stephen Willy"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2283"]
[BlackElo "2246"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "186"]
[GameId "2307683180670976"]
[EventDate "2026.02.06"]
[EventRounds "9"]

{[%evp 0,186,14,17,76,68,64,64,54,29,37,20,20,-14,-14,-23,30,15,7,-62,-38,-70,-8,-26,7,4,0,-24,-27,-18,-18,-10,-13,11,11,-61,-61,-70,-27,-24,-148,-130,-129,-84,-132,-161,-159,-302,-64,-162,-163,-179,153,80,188,0,0,0,0,-22,240,248,200,-43,-65,-67,-72,-72,-80,-74,-79,-79,-68,-111,-114,-107,-99,-115,-117,-145,-145,-160,-166,-168,-169,-170,-170,-227,-233,-265,-245,-266,-266,-266,-214,-227,-227,-229,-216,-247,-247,-286,-261,-282,-284,-444,-466,-570,-587,-617,-617,-617,-617,-617,-617,-617,-617,-617,-617,-627,-627,-627,-627,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-637,-647,-647,-647,-649,-647,-647,-647,-29969,-29973,-29974,-29975,-29974,-29975,-29980,-29981,-29982,-29983,-29984,-29985,-29984,-29985,-29986,-29987,-29988,-29989,-29990,-29991,-29990,-29991,-29992,-29993,-29994,-29995,-29996]} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. g4 {I had just played Vidip a month earlier and opted for the 2 knights caro. I thought this time I might try a sharper choice.} Be4 5. f3 Bg6 6. e6 {Sacrificing a pawn to delay the development of the f8 bishop.} fxe6 7. h4 c5 {A deviation from the mainline} (7... h5 {This is the mainline to prevent even more pieces from being boxed in by the pawns. h5 does weaken the g6 square though and the position quickly becomes double edged} 8. Bd3 Bxd3 9. Qxd3 Qd6) 8. h5 Bf7 9. f4 {I want to keep a bind on the e5 square to prevent black's push of e6-e5 then if I take with a pawn black will go e7-e6 and mobilize his pieces.} Nc6 10. Nf3 cxd4 11. g5 {There is no rush to recapture the d4 pawn and let black push e5 and free up the pieces. Instead the goal of g5 is to restrict the g8 knight from developing.} Qa5+ {I get a tempo to develop and the e5 square is still under my control.} (11... Qc7 {With intentions of playing e5} 12. Na3 a6 13. b4 $1 {This threatens b5 to dislodge the knight and baits the knight away from defending e5 if the b4 pawn is taken} Nxb4 $13) 12. Nbd2 (12. c3) 12... O-O-O {I was surprised by this because the king is not very safe on the queenside} (12... Nf6 {Sacrificing the knight may be mandatory and a good practical choice.}) 13. b4 $1 {Sacrificing a pawn but opening the b-file towards the king.} Qxb4 14. Rb1 Qd6 15. Nb3 $2 {While this is still better for me I underestimated black's response of e5.} (15. Bb5 {Practically wins the game as I get full control over the e5 square which means all of black's kingside pieces will be stuck} Nf6 (15... Be8 16. Bxc6 Bxc6 17. Ne5) 16. Bxc6 {It is even better to just ignore the hanging knight and take control over e5} Qxc6 17. Ne5 Qe8 $18) 15... e5 16. fxe5 Nxe5 {From here on I decided it was a good idea to spend like 20 min on every move.} 17. Nbxd4 {Only 1 line of forced moves keeps black under +1, the rest is over +2} (17. Na5 Rd7 18. Rh3 {Somehow this is the best sequence of moves which I cannot explain why.}) 17... Nc4 $7 {Threatening e5 and Qg3+} 18. Nb5 Qg3+ $7 19. Ke2 a6 $4 (19... b6 {Black's king needs the b7 square to survive in some subsequent positions}) 20. Na7+ $4 {For some reason this was the only move that came to mind. I did not need to move the knight} (20. Qd4 $1 {wins the game on the spot} e5 {Attacking the queen and preventing Bf4} (20... axb5 21. Bh3+ e6 22. Bf4) 21. Qa7 $1 {The queen will be trapped on g3 and I have a strong attack} axb5 22. Rxb5 b6 23. Rg1) 20... Kc7 21. Rh4 Qd6 22. Nd4 (22. Rxc4+ {is also interesting} dxc4 23. Qe1 Kd7 24. Rxb7+ Ke8 25. Qa5 Bxh5 26. Bg2 {"Equal position" but still a lot of fight}) 22... Qc5 23. Qe1 $4 {I wanted to set up Qf2 after Qxa7 but this allows e5 which allows the f8 bishop to defend the black queen} (23. Ke1 {Who knew the best move would be setting up the chess board for the next game? My king gets out of many annoying checks and my pieces are just active enough to be quite the nuisance.} Nf6 (23... e5 24. Ndb5+ axb5 25. Nxb5+ Kb8 26. Rxc4) (23... Qxa7 24. Qf3 Nf6 25. Bxc4 dxc4 26. Be3) 24. gxf6 exf6) 23... Bxh5+ $4 24. Kd3 $1 {Somehow I am not checkmated and I have a lot of threats} Bg6+ 25. Ke2 {The best option for both sides is to repeat the position and make a draw. I suspect that due to my time usage Vidip did not want a draw.} Rd6 $4 26. Qf2 Kb8 {I have about 10 minutes here and proceed to rush my next moves making many wrong decisions.} 27. Qxf8+ $4 (27. Ndc6+ {This was my initial instinct but I got scared I couldn't take any material because my king is weak.} Rxc6 28. Nxc6+ Qxc6 29. Qxf8+ Qc8 30. Qxc8+ (30. Rf4 $18) (30. Qxg7 $13) 30... Kxc8 31. Bh3+ Kc7 32. Rxc4+ dxc4 33. Bf4+ Kc6 34. Bg2+ Kc5 35. Rxb7 $18) 27... Kxa7 28. Qxg7 Nf6 29. gxf6 {I opt to take the knight instead of the rook because I thought the knight would be a promising attacking piece.} (29. Qxh8 Ne4 30. Qg7 {Surprisingly around equal however the position is very dangerous.}) 29... Qc8 $4 (29... Rxf6 30. Qxh8 Bh5+ 31. Rxh5 Qxd4 32. Qxf6 Qxf6 33. Rh3 Qf5 34. Rhb3 {Black is slightly better and has chances to press}) 30. Bh3 Qb8 31. fxe7 $4 {Too rushed as now my pawn cannot promote easily because of how well defended the e8 square is.} (31. f7 {One of the moves I was considering that happens to be winning} Rf8 32. Be6 {My pawn becomes a huge threat.}) 31... Rg8 32. Rxb7+ (32. Qh6 Bxc2 33. Bf4 Bxb1 34. Bf5 {With an extremely messy position that is for some reason around equal.}) 32... Kxb7 (32... Qxb7 33. Qxg8 {I likely would have played this in the game} (33. Qf8 {Funny move that is also possible} Qb8 34. Qxb8+ Rxb8 (34... Kxb8 35. Rf4 Re8 36. Rf8 Kc7 37. Bg5) 35. Bg5) 33... Qxe7+ 34. Ne6 Qxh4 35. Be3+ Nxe3 36. Qg7+ Ka8 37. Qf8+ {with an "equal position"}) 33. e8=R+ {When you have the chance always promote to a rook.} Rxg7 34. Rxb8+ Kxb8 35. Bf4 Re7+ 36. Kd1 {The losing move which is just too passive. From here on Vidip converts well.} (36. Be6 {Looks tedious but keeps just enough activity to save the game.} Kb7 37. Bxd6 Nxd6 38. Kf1) 36... Re4 37. Bxd6+ Nxd6 38. Rxe4 Nxe4 39. Kc1 Kc7 40. Bf1 a5 41. Kb2 Kd6 42. Nf3 Bh5 43. Nd4 Bg4 44. a4 h5 45. Nb3 h4 46. Nxa5 Ng3 47. Bg2 h3 48. Bxh3 Bxh3 49. Nb3 Ne2 50. Nd2 Bc8 51. c4 d4 52. c5+ Kxc5 53. Nb3+ Kb4 54. Nxd4 Nxd4 55. a5 {Keeping the pawn on the board might have made the checkmate easier due to less stalemate tricks but this works nonetheless.} Kxa5 56. Kc3 Nb5+ 57. Kd3 Kb4 58. Ke4 Kc5 59. Ke5 Nd6 60. Kf6 Kd5 61. Kg6 Ke5 62. Kg5 Ne4+ 63. Kg6 Ke6 64. Kg7 Bd7 65. Kg6 Be8+ 66. Kg7 Ng5 67. Kf8 Bh5 68. Kg7 Nf7 69. Kg8 Ne5 70. Kg7 Kf5 71. Kh6 Bg6 72. Kg7 Kg5 73. Kh8 Kf6 74. Kg8 Bf7+ 75. Kh8 Ng6+ 76. Kh7 Be6 77. Kh6 Bg8 78. Kh5 Ne5 79. Kh4 Kf5 80. Kg3 Ng4 81. Kf3 Bc4 82. Kg3 Bd5 83. Kh4 Kf4 84. Kh5 Bf7+ 85. Kh4 Ne3 86. Kh3 Bg6 87. Kh4 Ng2+ 88. Kh3 Kf3 89. Kh2 Bf5 90. Kg1 Kg3 91. Kf1 Bd3+ 92. Kg1 Nf4 93. Kh1 Be2 0-1

[Event "WA State Championship (Championship)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2026.02.07"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Willy, Stephen"]
[Black "Wan, Bertrand"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Stephen Willy"]
[ECO "E90"]
[WhiteElo "2283"]
[BlackElo "2233"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[GameId "2307408298512384"]
[EventDate "2026.02.06"]
[EventRounds "9"]

{[%evp 0,59,32,21,27,-9,41,37,35,41,39,48,35,43,42,21,65,64,69,70,62,48,43,36,63,53,65,69,67,62,77,67,65,65,56,29,24,137,174,259,281,329,347,388,281,369,383,136,177,94,375,417,550,356,567,617,641,462,733,735,1421,1776]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 {This is the start of the Makogonov KID. The simple purpose of this early h3 is to stop any Bg4 or Ng4 ideas in the future. There is also potential for a future g4 which can gain space on the kingside and play against black's main pawn break of f5.} (5. Nf3 Bg4 {The knight on f3 can be quite a useful piece for supporting the center. This is why black tries Bg4 in many positions to undermine control of central squares like e5 and d4.}) (5. Be3 {The bishop would often like to go to this square but Ng4 is always an issue.} Ng4) 5... Nbd7 {This move prepares black's advance of e5 while blocking the d-file so if I played dxe5 after dxe5 black does not have to worry about the queen trade.} (5... e5 {This is also a move where the most logical reply is d5 however I have one other option that is prevented by starting with Nbd7} 6. dxe5 (6. d5) 6... dxe5 7. Qxd8+ Kxd8 8. Nf3 Nc6 9. Be3 Be6 10. O-O-O+ Nd7 11. Ng5 (11. c5 h6 12. g4 Kc8 13. Bb5 Bf8 14. Kb1 a6 15. Ba4 {White maintains some endgame pressure.})) 6. Nf3 {Nf3 forces black to commit for the e5 push.} (6. Bg5 {This is perhaps a good alternative and positions become sharp}) 6... e5 7. d5 {Most logical move to close the center and restrict black's pieces. It is possible for white to allow exd4 but it gives more practical chances for black's pieces to mobilize.} (7. g3 O-O 8. Bg2 exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. O-O {This transposes to some lines seen in g3 KID positions.}) (7. g4 $5 O-O 8. Be3 (8. Bg2 b5 $132) 8... exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. Bg2 Nc5 11. f3) 7... h5 {Now that the center is closed black's dark squared bishop is staring into a pawn wall. Thus the idea of h5 is to play Bh6 and trade off the bad dark squared bishop for white's mobile dark squared bishop.} 8. Bg5 {My idea is to force Bh6 because otherwise I play Qd2 and my g5 bishop will stay on the outpost forever.} (8. b4 a5 9. a3 axb4 {I cannot get away with b4 because my rook on a1 is undefended}) 8... Bh6 9. Bxh6 Rxh6 10. b4 {This was the intention of forcing Bh6. Now if black goes a5 I can respond with a3 and if axb4 axb4 Rxa1 my queen defends the a1 rook due to the c1 bishop moving.} b6 {This is a slight inaccuracy as it surrenders the queenside space to white. The inclusion of a5 and a3 means I have to constantly be ready for axb4 in every position.} (10... a5 11. a3 axb4 (11... h4 {a better version of the position in the game because black always has ideas of axb4 axb4 Rxa1 Qxa1 to deflect my queen from defending the kingside.} 12. Be2 Nh5) 12. axb4 Rxa1 13. Qxa1 {No c1 bishop in the way.}) 11. Be2 h4 {Taking kingside space and attempting to outpost the knight via h5 to f4.} 12. O-O Nh5 13. Ne1 Nf4 14. Nd3 Qg5 {The first serious mistake as if white doesn't get checkmated black has completely abandoned the queenside} (14... g5 {This move is somewhat counterintuitive as it surrenders any light squared control completely.} 15. Nxf4 gxf4 16. Bg4 {At some point black must move the d7 knight and the light squared bishop trade would happen. The computer argues that despite the weakening of the light squares this is fine.} Rg6 17. Kh2 Kf8 {Black slowly improves the position and then eventually plays Nf6.}) 15. Nxf4 Qxf4 {This is too slow because white's breakthrough on the queenside is so fast} (15... exf4 {This gives up the d4 square for white but it gives the e5 square for the black knight which in turn will open up the c8 bishop.} 16. Nb5 Ne5 17. Kh1 Qd8 18. c5 (18. a4 g5 19. a5 bxa5 20. Rxa5 g4) 18... Kf8 19. Qc1 g5 20. cxd6 cxd6) 16. Qa4 {Threatening Qc6 as well as a potential c5 pawn break now that the d7 knight is pinned.} Kd8 17. Rab1 {I wanted to play c5 after Bb7 but this move allows black time to consolidate the position} Bb7 {Well obviously I'm a time traveler. This is probably the mistake that ends the game as now my attack completely breaks through.} (17... a6 {This gives space for Ra7 after Qc6 and it stops Nb5 in many lines} 18. Nb5 {I doubt these lines would have occurred in the game after a6 but it becomes very crazy} (18. Rb3 {Rb3 is best to defend the 3rd rank from the upcoming attack.} g5 19. Nb5 Qxe4 20. Nxc7 Kxc7 21. Qc6+ Kb8 22. c5 b5 23. cxd6 Ka7 24. Bf3 Qf5 25. Bg4 Qg6 26. Bxd7 Qxd6 27. Rf3 Bxd7 28. Rxf7 Qxc6 29. dxc6 Rxc6 30. Rxd7+) 18... Bb7 19. Nxc7 Kxc7 20. c5 Qxe4 (20... Kd8 {Another position where the lines get even deeper.}) 21. c6 Bc8 22. cxd7 Bxd7 23. Qa3 g5 (23... Qxe2 24. Qc1+ Kb7 25. Qxh6) 24. Rfe1 Kd8 25. Bf3 Qg6 {After a bunch of precise moves stockfish evaluates this 0.0 There is sometimes a difference between dead drawn and 0.0 by the computer. A dead drawn position is always 0.0, but 0.0 is not always a dead drawn position.}) 18. c5 bxc5 19. bxc5 Nxc5 20. Qa5 Rc8 21. Nb5 Kd7 22. Nxa7 Qxe4 23. Bb5+ Kd8 24. Bc6 Ba6 25. Rfc1 Rh8 26. Rb2 Rh5 27. Rb4 Qe2 28. Ba4 Qd2 29. Rxc5 dxc5 30. Qxc5 1-0

[Event "WA State Championship (Championship)"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2026.02.22"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Lee, Megan"]
[Black "Willy, Stephen"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Stephen Willy"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2366"]
[BlackElo "2283"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[GameId "2307632535031808"]
[EventDate "2026.02.06"]
[EventRounds "9"]

{[%evp 0,84,27,17,33,38,39,30,57,31,23,10,29,10,21,19,43,27,29,-17,-35,-24,2,-27,9,-3,-4,12,52,9,-13,-110,-134,-259,-230,-254,-262,-276,-298,-300,-265,-353,-217,-339,-226,-116,20,10,2,-60,-68,-9,-129,-141,-135,-176,-184,-199,-194,-266,11,-95,-64,-244,-213,-216,-216,-302,-317,-445,-472,-29991,266,113,128,-7,0,0,0,0,0,-286,-294,-294,-296,-294,-262]} 1. e4 {I can only preface this game by saying that we both were probably tired after 4 rounds of chess.} e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 Be7 8. Qd2 O-O 9. Ne2 {While this works in the lines where black plays a6 this does not work here. Black can play a7-a5 in one go to expand on the queenside compared to positions where a6 is played instead of Be7 and I must spend another tempo to go a5. It makes sense to first undermine the center and provoke c3 before committing to any queenside expansion.} f6 10. c3 a5 11. h4 {Thematic ideas with a6 however this plan is slow when I don't have a tempo wasted} a4 12. h5 a3 {Normally it is good to push flank pawns all the way to the 3rd rank (or 6th rank for white flank pawns) however in this case a3 does not weaken the queenside but it actually strengths it because the c4 square is now defended.} (12... Nb6 {I saw this as soon as I played a3 and realized that it is much stronger as white struggles to defend against Nc4 and keep the center intact at the same time. The a4 pawn is important to prevent white from playing b3.} 13. Ng3 (13. exf6 {This can be played first to reduce the impact of fxe5 in the line with Ng3 first. But white's center is still broken and this is a huge success.}) 13... cxd4 14. Bxd4 {The pawn chain must be broken as if cxd4 I have Bb4 to win the queen} (14. cxd4 Bb4) 14... fxe5 15. fxe5 h6 {with a much better position for black}) 13. b3 Qa5 14. Rb1 {I thought about playing cxd4 because white can't play cxd4 due to Bb4, but if I play cxd4 there is Nexd4 and my e6 pawn is hanging. What I missed was that I can do the same thing but starting with fxe5.} b6 {My idea was to keep the central tension and make sure I can recapture on c5 with a pawn in case of dxc5.} (14... fxe5 15. fxe5 cxd4 16. Nexd4 Ndxe5 {Due to the f-pawn trade there is no f4 pawn defending the e5 pawn.}) (14... cxd4 15. Nexd4 Ndxe5 16. fxe5) 15. f5 {It is a bit too early to release the tension} fxe5 16. h6 cxd4 17. hxg7 Rxf5 18. Bxd4 exd4 19. b4 Qa7 {Still winning but Qa4 was more precise and less complicated.} (19... Qa4 20. Qh6 Nf6 21. g4 Rxf3 22. g5 Qc2 {And h7 is well defended unlike the game}) 20. Qh6 Nf6 21. g4 dxc3 {By sacrificing the rook back my king is safe for a while and I get a counterattack on the white king.} (21... Rxf3 22. g5 Qa4 {If I take on f3 the queen must go through a4 and c2 anyways.} 23. gxf6 Qc2 24. Rc1 Rxf6 25. Rxc2 Rxh6 26. Rxh6 d3) 22. gxf5 e5 {I wanted to get Bxf5 and defend h7 and my king forever.} (22... c2 23. Rb3 Nxb4 {White has no real threat in this position so I didn't have to be so concerned about guarding my king.}) 23. Nxc3 {It was after Nxc3 that I realized if I go Bxf5 there is the counter shot Nxd5! And I couldn't find a good response to Nxd5. So I came up with a smart plan... play a move that loses anyways!!} Nxb4 {I saw Rxb4 and either thought I could survive for some reason or just missed that my king is getting checkmated if I try to take the c3 knight} 24. Ne4 {This move was a shock to see on the board. I completely missed it as I cannot take the knight with either piece. Luckily for me I do still have one defensive trick.} (24. Rxb4 Bxb4 25. Qxf6 Qc7 26. Kd1 {I cannot take the knight due to checkmate threats and the black king is way too vulnerable regardless.}) 24... Nc2+ $7 25. Kd1 Ne3+ $7 {Now I deflect the queen and bring my knight back in time to help defend the kingside} 26. Qxe3 (26. Ke1 Neg4 {Now after Nxf6 I can recapture with Nxf6 and keep h7 defended} 27. Nxf6+ Nxf6) 26... Nxe4 27. Bc4 Nf6 (27... dxc4 28. Qxe4 Qd7+ $1 {This is what I missed as now Bb7 can be played because on Qxc4+ I have Qd5} 29. Ke1 Bb7 30. Qxc4+ Qd5 $17) 28. Bb3 (28. Rxh7 $3 {White is suddenly back in the game and slightly better!} Kxh7 (28... Nxh7 29. Bxd5+ Be6 $7 (29... Kxg7 30. Qg1+ {And now white is winning}) 30. Bxe6+ Kxg7 31. Qxe5+ Bf6 32. Qg3+ Kh8 $13) (28... Qa4+ {This is another way to survive where white plays a few only moves to get about a +1 position} 29. Bb3 Qf4 30. Qxf4 exf4 31. Rh4 $7 Kxg7 32. Rc1 $7 Bd7) 29. Ke2 {With the open g and h files this is dead lost}) 28... Bxf5 29. Rc1 Be4 {I went for the wrong pin as now white can play Rg1 with the threat of Qxe4} 30. Rh4 (30. Rg1 Bc5 {Looks like I am just winning the rook but-} 31. Qxe4 $3) 30... Bc5 {Qxe4 doesn't work here because I can take the queen and take the undefended pawn on g7.} 31. Qe2 Kxg7 32. Nxe5 Re8 33. Qh2 Qe7 34. Qg3+ Kh8 35. Ng4 {Megan has 30 seconds and I have about 50 different winning moves surely he cant mess it up riiight---- (Black to play checkmate in 5)} Bc2+ $3 {In my mind Rxc2 Qe1 was checkmate which would be correct---- if I nudged the queen to g2 so that it wasn't protecting e1. Also anyone who found Bf3+ or literally any move that doesn't hang a piece is officially better than me at chess.} 36. Rxc2 Ne4 {If I didn't have Ne4 it would be losing on the spot} (36... Qe1+ 37. Qxe1 {oops}) 37. Qe5+ {[%emt 0:00:40] Megan made this move with 2 seconds just in time to force the queens off to an equal endgame and reach the extra time on move} Qxe5 38. Nxe5 Rxe5 39. Rch2 Re7 40. Bxd5 {Under time pressure and wanting to make move 40 this was an unfortunate move and certainly not the way I wanted to win. In fairness I think Bc2 is a much worse move given I had 20 minutes compared to 30 seconds.} Nc3+ 41. Kc2 Nxd5 42. Rh5 Nf4 0-1

[Event "Buckendorf Senior State Championship"]
[Site "Boise, Idaho"]
[Date "2026.05.16"]
[Round "4.5"]
[White "Zaklan, David Allen"]
[Black "Lange, Brian S"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "A51"]
[WhiteElo "1314"]
[BlackElo "1539"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[GameId "2310833174790276"]
[EventDate "2026.05.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. e3 ({The main lines of the Budapest Gambit are reached after} 3. dxe5 $14 {, when Black can choose between the semi-respectable} Ng4 ({and} 3... Ne4 {, the highly speculative Fajarowicz variation.})) 3... exd4 4. exd4 Bb4+ 5. Nc3 Ne4 $6 ({A little prematurely aggressive.} 5... d5) (5... O-O) 6. Qd3 (6. Qc2) ({or} 6. Qb3 {seem more natural squares for the queen, leaving d3 for the light-square bishop.}) 6... Qe7 (6... O-O) 7. Be3 Nc6 (7... d5 8. cxd5 Bf5 $15 {Black is better coordinated, with generally smoother development.}) 8. Nf3 (8. Nge2 O-O 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Nxc3 Nxc3 11. Qxc3 $14 {gives White the bishop-pair and a central space edge.}) 8... O-O 9. Be2 Re8 10. O-O Bxc3 11. bxc3 d6 12. Rab1 ({Putting more major pieces on the b1-h7 diagonal.} 12. Qc2 Bf5 13. Bd3 Bg6 14. Rfe1 {is fine, but also draws attention to White's decision to place the queen on d3 back on move six.}) 12... Na5 $6 (12... Bf5 $1 13. Rxb7 (13. Rb5 Bg6 14. Re1 Nxf2 $1 $17) 13... Ng3 14. Qd2 Nxf1 15. Bxf1 Be4 $17) 13. Rfe1 Bf5 $4 (13... b6) 14. Rec1 $4 (14. Rb5 $1 $16 {is a fork.}) 14... Ng3 $1 15. Qd2 ({Black is essentially winning, so one way to make things interesting and imbalanced is} 15. hxg3 Bxd3 16. Bxd3 $17 {Sure, White is down a queen, but the solid wall will require some demolition before Black can prove the advantage.}) 15... Nxe2+ 16. Qxe2 Bxb1 17. Rxb1 f5 18. Qd3 Qe4 19. Qxe4 Rxe4 20. Nd2 Re7 21. Rb5 b6 ({Another way to shed the f-pawn is} 21... f4 22. Bxf4 Re1+ 23. Nf1 b6 $19 {with active rooks.}) 22. Rxf5 Rf8 23. Rd5 (23. Rb5) 23... Nc6 24. Nf3 Ref7 25. Ng5 Rf6 26. Ne4 Rf5 27. Rxf5 Rxf5 28. Ng3 Ra5 $19 29. h3 Rxa2 30. Ne4 a5 31. Nd2 Rc2 32. Nb1 a4 33. Na3 Rxc3 34. Nb5 Rxc4 35. Nxc7 a3 36. Nb5 a2 37. Nxd6 a1=Q+ 38. Kh2 Rxd4 39. Nf5 Rb4 40. Nd6 Qe5+ 41. g3 Qxd6 0-1

[Event "Buckendorf Senior State Championship"]
[Site "Boise, Idaho"]
[Date "2026.05.16"]
[Round "4.3"]
[White "Pentico, Christopher"]
[Black "Henderson, Michael"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B48"]
[WhiteElo "1439"]
[BlackElo "1800"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[GameId "2310833065308289"]
[EventDate "2026.05.16"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "4"]
[EventCountry "USA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be3 Qc7 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Nf6 9. O-O d5 10. exd5 (10. f4) 10... cxd5 11. Re1 Bd6 12. g3 (12. h3) 12... O-O $15 13. Bg5 Be7 14. Bf4 Qc6 15. h4 Bb7 16. Qf3 Qb6 17. Na4 Qb4 18. b3 Bc6 19. c3 Qb7 20. Qh1 $6 (20. Be5 d4 21. Qe2 Bh1 22. Qf1 {and White is close to equality.}) 20... d4 21. Qh3 Rfd8 (21... Bxa4 22. bxa4 dxc3 $17) 22. cxd4 Rxd4 23. Bf1 Bxa4 24. bxa4 Rxa4 (24... Nd5 $15) 25. Bg2 Nd5 26. Rab1 (26. Rxe6 $1 Rd8 (26... Nxf4 27. gxf4 Qb2 28. Rf1 fxe6 29. Qxe6+ Kh8 30. Bxa8) (26... fxe6 $4 27. Qxe6+ Kh8 28. Bxd5 Qc8 29. Qxe7 $18)) 26... Rb4 27. Bxd5 exd5 (27... Qxd5 $15) 28. Qf5 Bf6 29. Rbc1 Rc4 30. Rb1 Qc6 31. h5 d4 32. Be5 (32. h6) 32... Rc5 33. f4 $2 (33. Qf4 $13) 33... Qd5 $2 (33... Re8 $17) 34. g4 ({White has a hard to see final saving tactic here.} 34. Bb8 $3 Qc6 $3 (34... Qd8 35. Qxc5 Rxb8 36. Rxb8 Qxb8 37. Qc7 $1 Qa8 38. Rb1 $18) (34... Qxf5 $4 35. Re8#) 35. Qxc5 $1 Qxc5 36. Re8+ Qf8 37. Rxf8+ Kxf8 38. Kf2 {, and Black's extra pawn doesn't confer any advantage. White has activity and the ability to restrict the black rook, while targeting the d-pawn.} a5 39. a4 Ra6 40. Rb5) 34... d3 35. Rbd1 (35. Bxf6 Qxf5 36. gxf5 gxf6 $17) 35... Rc2 36. Re4 (36. Qe4 Qxe4 37. Rxe4 Bxe5 38. Rxe5 d2 39. Rd5 Rxa2 40. R5xd2 Rxd2 41. Rxd2 a5 {should be winning for Black, with the rook behind the extra passed pawn.}) 36... Qxa2 0-1

[Event "Intermat 35th"]
[Site "Bellevue"]
[Date "2026.05.09"]
[Round "1.17"]
[White "Cheng, Selina"]
[Black "Wu, Nicholas Pei-Chang"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "1742"]
[BlackElo "1943"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[GameId "2310888213406454"]
[EventDate "2026.05.09"]
[WhiteTeam "WA"]
[BlackTeam "BC"]
[WhiteClock "1:19:36"]
[BlackClock "0:24:58"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. Nf3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Bg4 9. c3 Nd7 10. Bc2 Re8 11. Qd3 Nf8 12. Bd2 Bc7 13. Rfe1 Qd6 14. g3 Qd5 15. Nh4 Ng6 16. c4 Qd7 17. Ng2 Rad8 18. Bc3 Bb6 19. c5 Rxe1+ 20. Rxe1 Bc7 21. Qe3 b5 22. b4 Be6 23. a3 Ne7 24. Bb2 a5 25. Qd2 axb4 26. axb4 Be5 27. Nf4 Bxd4 (27... Bxf4 28. Qxf4 Nd5 $15 {Strongly posted knight.}) 28. Bxd4 Qxd4 29. Qxd4 (29. Qe2 $13 Qc4 30. Qxc4 (30. Bd3 Qxb4 31. Nxe6 Rxd3 $1 32. Ra1 $1 Ra3 33. Rd1 Nd5 34. Nd4 Qxc5 35. Qe8+ Qf8 36. Qxc6 {with complications leading to simplification.}) 30... bxc4 31. Nxe6 fxe6 32. Rxe6 Nd5 33. Re4 Nxb4 34. Rxc4 Nxc2 35. Rxc2) 29... Rxd4 30. Nxe6 fxe6 31. Rxe6 Kf7 32. Re4 Rxe4 33. Bxe4 Ke6 34. f4 Nd5 35. Kf2 f5 36. Bg2 Nxb4 37. Ke3 Nd5+ 38. Kd4 b4 39. Bf1 Kd7 40. Bd3 g6 41. Kc4 Ke6 42. Be2 h6 (42... Nf6 43. Bf3 Ne4 44. Kxb4 Kd5 $17) 43. Bf3 Kd7 44. h4 Kc7 45. Be2 Nc3 46. Bf3 Ne4 $2 (46... Nd5 47. h5 ({Not} 47. Bxd5 $4 cxd5+ 48. Kxb4 Kc6 $19) 47... gxh5 48. Bxh5 Ne3+ 49. Kxb4 Nf1 50. g4 Ng3 51. Kc4 Nxh5 52. gxh5 Kd7 53. Kd4 Ke6 {Lots of side lines to explore, but it's all under control for both sides.}) 47. Bxe4 $1 fxe4 48. Kxb4 Kd7 49. Kc4 Ke6 50. Kd4 $2 ({Now we reach the moral of the game: pawn endings are hard.} 50. g4 $3 h5 (50... e3 51. Kd3 Kd5 52. g5 $1 hxg5 (52... h5 53. Kxe3 Kxc5 54. f5 $1 $18) 53. fxg5 $1 Kxc5 54. h5 $1 $18) 51. gxh5 gxh5 52. Kd4 Kf5 53. Ke3 {zugzwang.} Kg4 54. Kxe4 Kxh4 55. Kf3 $18) 50... e3 ({The more obvious} 50... Kf5 51. Ke3 h5 52. Kd4 Kg4 53. Kxe4 Kxg3 54. Ke5 Kxh4 55. Kd6 Kg3 {requires counting out the race. Black queens first, and the resulting queen endgame might not look like much -- but Black will pick up a pawn, and certainly isn't losing.} 56. Kxc6 h4 57. Kd6 h3 58. c6 h2 59. c7 h1=Q 60. c8=Q Qe4 $15) 51. Kxe3 Kd5 52. g4 Kxc5 53. g5 hxg5 54. f5 gxh4 $4 (54... Kd6 $1 {draws, after either} 55. fxg6 ({or} 55. hxg5 gxf5 56. g6 Ke6 57. Kf4 Kf6 58. g7 Kxg7 59. Kxf5) 55... Ke7 (55... Ke6 56. hxg5 Ke7 {is also fine.}) 56. hxg5 ({or} 56. g7) ({but not} 56. h5 $4 Kf6 57. Ke4 c5 $19 {, when Black's separated passed pawns progress on their own.})) 55. fxg6 h3 56. Kf2 1-0

[Event "Intermat 35th"]
[Site "Bellevue"]
[Date "2026.05.09"]
[Round "1.18"]
[White "Raja, Rian"]
[Black "Law, Jesse"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "D53"]
[WhiteElo "1726"]
[BlackElo "1779"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[GameId "2310888213426935"]
[EventDate "2026.05.09"]
[WhiteTeam "WA"]
[BlackTeam "BC"]
[WhiteClock "1:11:19"]
[BlackClock "1:02:18"]

{[%evp 0,93,25,20,18,6,6,6,14,15,24,12,28,12,31,24,54,54,54,54,57,59,50,48,44,2,25,-29,-29,-21,21,11,15,10,24,16,12,12,27,21,26,23,23,0,24,8,99,107,98,61,67,46,46,54,48,41,358,382,383,381,429,442,483,498,502,490,654,661,670,686,832,905,1775,1116,2177,1991,2295,685,699,708,796,852,1180,957,29983,29986,29989,29990,29993,29994,29995,29996,29997,29998,29999,29999]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Qc2 c6 7. Nf3 dxc4 (7... O-O {There's normally a little tempo game going on, where Black tries to wait until the f1-bishop moves before capturing on c4.}) 8. Bxc4 b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. O-O h6 11. Bh4 O-O 12. Rfe1 a6 13. Rac1 c5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Nxe4 cxd4 17. Nxf6+ Qxf6 18. Nxd4 Ne5 19. b3 Rfd8 20. Qe4 Rd5 21. f4 Ng6 22. f5 Nf8 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Nc6 (24. Rc7 $1 $16) 24... Re8 25. Rf1 Qg5 26. h4 Qh5 27. Rf3 Rf5 $4 (27... Rd7 $13) 28. g4 $1 Qxh4 (28... Qg6 29. Ne5 $1 ({Also} 29. h5 Qg5 30. Rxf5 exf5 31. Qxe8 $18) 29... Rxe5 30. Rxf8+ $1 Rxf8 31. Qxg6 $18) 29. Rxf5 Qg3+ 30. Kf1 Qh3+ 31. Ke2 exf5 32. Qxe8 Qg2+ 33. Kd3 Qd5+ 34. Nd4 Qg2 35. gxf5 Qxa2 36. f6 Qg2 37. f7+ Kh7 38. Qe4+ Qxe4+ 39. Kxe4 Kg6 40. Rf1 h5 41. Ke5 Kh7 42. Ne6 Nd7+ 43. Kd6 h4 44. Kxd7 Kh6 45. f8=Q Kh5 46. Qxg7 b4 47. Nf4# 1-0

[Event "Intermat 35th"]
[Site "Bellevue"]
[Date "2026.05.09"]
[Round "2.9"]
[White "Hun, Tyler"]
[Black "Li, Shawn"]
[Result "0-1"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "1406"]
[BlackElo "1815"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "36"]
[GameId "2310888213476103"]
[EventDate "2026.05.09"]
[WhiteTeam "BC"]
[BlackTeam "WA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bf4 d5 4. a3 ({Of course,} 4. e3 {makes lots more sense here.}) 4... c5 5. c3 Bd6 6. Bg3 O-O 7. e3 Qc7 8. Bd3 Nbd7 9. Nbd2 e5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Be2 Bf5 12. Rc1 (12. O-O) ({or} 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. Bxe5 Qxe5 14. O-O $15 {look survivable.}) 12... Nd3+ 13. Bxd3 Bxd3 14. Nb3 Bb5 ({Not to pick nits, but why not avoid possible tempo hits like c4?} 14... Ba6 $17) 15. Nbd2 (15. c4 $1 {is White's best chance to escape the central trap.} Ba4 $17 {but things are a bit messy again.} (15... Bxc4 $4 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Rxc4 $18)) 15... Rfe8 {Sneaky.} 16. a4 $4 (16. c4 $1 {is again White's chance to avoid disaster.}) 16... Rxe3+ $3 17. fxe3 Bxg3+ 18. hxg3 Qxg3# 0-1

[Event "Intermat 35th"]
[Site "Bellevue"]
[Date "2026.05.09"]
[Round "2.16"]
[White "Yang, Larry"]
[Black "Mohan, Aarav Bharathy"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "C05"]
[WhiteElo "1753"]
[BlackElo "1842"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[GameId "2310888213508878"]
[EventDate "2026.05.09"]
[WhiteTeam "BC"]
[BlackTeam "WA"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Ndf3 Nc6 7. c3 cxd4 8. Nxd4 (8. cxd4 {is normal here, presumably to avoid positions with a black knight on e4.}) 8... Nc5 9. Ngf3 Ne4 10. Bd3 Nxd4 11. cxd4 (11. Nxd4 Qh4+ 12. g3 Nxg3 13. Nf3 Qh5 14. Rg1 {might offer sufficient compensation for the pawn.}) (11. Bxe4 dxe4 (11... Nxf3+ 12. Bxf3) 12. Nxd4 {is interesting and different.}) 11... Bb4+ 12. Bd2 (12. Kf1 $13) 12... Bxd2+ 13. Nxd2 Qh4+ 14. g3 Nxg3 15. Bb5+ (15. Nf3 Qh6 16. Rg1 Ne4 $15 {The exchange of dark-square bishops weakens f4 compared with the similar line in the note to move 11.}) 15... Kf8 ({One complicated and completely not forced line here:} 15... Bd7 16. Bxd7+ Kxd7 17. Nf3 Qh6 18. Qa4+ Kd8 19. Ng5 Qh5 20. Nxf7+ Ke7 21. Qa3+ Kxf7 22. Qxg3 {. White's king may be a bit less safe.}) 16. Nf3 Qh6 17. Rg1 Nf5 (17... Ne4) 18. Qd2 a6 (18... Qh5 $5) 19. Bd3 (19. Qa5 $1 g6 20. Qd8+ Kg7 21. Qf6+ Kg8 22. Ng5 {White's having more fun.}) 19... g6 (19... Nh4 $13) 20. Rc1 Bd7 21. Rc7 Bc6 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. Ng5 Be8 24. e6 $1 {White breaks through.} f6 25. Qb4+ Kg8 26. Qxb7 Rd8 27. Nf3 Rd6 28. Re7 Rd8 (28... Qf8 29. Nh4 Rb6 30. Qxb6 Qxe7 31. Nxf5 Qf8 32. e7 Qf7 33. Nh6+) 29. Rxe8+ 1-0

[Event "Intermat 35th"]
[Site "Bellevue"]
[Date "2026.05.09"]
[Round "2.21"]
[White "Hsu, Ryder"]
[Black "Rubaiyat, Rhadean"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "1877"]
[BlackElo "1677"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[GameId "2310888213529363"]
[EventDate "2026.05.09"]
[WhiteTeam "BC"]
[BlackTeam "WA"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bd2 Bg7 (5... Nb6 $5 6. Nf3 (6. Bg5 $5 Bg7 7. e3 c5 $1 (7... O-O $6 8. Nf3 $14) 8. dxc5 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qxd1+ 10. Rxd1 N6d7 {looks fine for Black.}) 6... Bg7 7. Rc1 Nc6 8. e3 e5 {with a game.}) 6. e4 Nxc3 (6... Nb6 7. Be3 O-O 8. a4 a5 9. Rc1 {seems more flexible for White.}) 7. Bxc3 O-O 8. Qd2 c6 ({A bit passive, more or less allowing White free rein.} 8... c5) ({or} 8... Nc6 {put more immediate pressure on the white center.}) 9. h3 Nd7 10. Nf3 Nf6 ({Once again Black could attempt action against the pawn center:} 10... e5 11. dxe5 (11. Nxe5 Qe7 12. Be2 c5 13. Nxd7 Bxd7 14. O-O Rfd8 $13) 11... Qe7 12. Qd6 Qxd6 13. exd6 Bxc3+ 14. bxc3 Re8 15. O-O-O (15. Bd3 Re6 {recovers the pawn.}) 15... Rxe4 16. Bd3 $14) 11. Bd3 a5 12. a4 Qc7 13. O-O Rd8 {It's easy to apprehend that White has a space advantage. An annotator would likely also say White has the initiative.But why? What does it mean to have "initiative?"Sometimes it's making direct threats, though if there are a series of direct threats, one might describe it as having the "attack," rather than initiative. Here, White isn''t making direct threats. The situation here is that White has options, while Black must be prepared to deal with different plans. The mobile pawn center, while not actually threatening to advance right now, not only controls more space, but also hints at a future expansion. Black has trouble undertaking anything active, because White's potential central action must always be considered.Meanwhile, White can build up and switch between potential plans, not committing to anything until there is a compelling reason to do so.} 14. Rac1 b6 15. Rfe1 Ba6 $6 ({It is approved strategy, when in a cramped position, to exchange pieces. In this position, the light-square bishop certainly looks limited, so attempting its exchange seems strategically reasonable. Unfortunately for Black, here it allows White to reposition the queen with gain of time, turning one of those central options into a favorable change of structure.} 15... e6 {might help restrain the d5 advance. It looks odd, because it really doesn't help the c8-bishop.}) 16. Bxa6 Rxa6 17. Qe2 Raa8 (17... Qb7 18. Ne5 ({or} 18. e5 Nd5 19. e6 $5) 18... Rd6 $16) 18. d5 $1 c5 19. Qc4 Ne8 20. e5 $1 {Even more space!} Qd7 21. Rcd1 e6 ({Black takes action. The other option is to shift the queen around waiting while White sharpens the ax.} 21... Qb7 22. Ng5 Bh6 23. Ne4 Bg7 24. h4 $16) 22. d6 $16 Rdb8 23. Qh4 {Oh look. There's a kingside.} Bf8 24. Ng5 h6 25. Ne4 b5 $2 26. Bd2 $1 ({White declines to be distracted. Of course} 26. Nxc5 {is also strong.}) 26... Kh7 27. Nxc5 {Oh, ok. There's time for a snack.} Qc6 28. Ne4 bxa4 29. d7 Ng7 1-0

[Event "Intermat 35th"]
[Site "Bellevue"]
[Date "2026.05.09"]
[Round "2.26"]
[White "Wu, Nathan Ping-Ying"]
[Black "Deng, Austin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Annotator "Ralph Dubisch"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2201"]
[BlackElo "1386"]
[WhiteFideId "-1"]
[BlackFideId "-1"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[GameId "2310888213549848"]
[EventDate "2026.05.09"]
[WhiteTeam "BC"]
[BlackTeam "WA"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 d6 ({Kind of creating a self-pin, though this isn't too terrible in this case.} 5... Nf6) ({and} 5... e5 {are the main moves here, usually leading to different central structures.}) ({For something unusual and yet sound, Black might try} 5... Qb6) 6. c3 (6. e5 $5) 6... Qb6 7. Bxc6+ bxc6 (7... Qxc6) 8. d4 Bb7 (8... cxd4 9. cxd4 Bg4 {puts some pressure on the white center.}) 9. dxc5 (9. e5 $1 dxe5 10. dxe5 Rd8 11. Qa4 Nh6 12. Bg5 {with initiative, since} Qxb2 $2 13. Nbd2 {is just overwhelming development.}) 9... Qxc5 10. Be3 Qc4 $6 (10... Qa5 $14) 11. Nbd2 Qa6 12. Nb3 (12. e5 $5 dxe5 13. Bc5 Rd8 14. b4 $16) 12... c5 13. e5 O-O-O 14. exd6 (14. e6 $5) 14... exd6 15. Ng5 Nh6 (15... Rd7 16. Qg4 Nf6 17. Qh3 {is a volatile and unclear sort of tactical position. The Stockfish engine suggests} Re8 18. Nxf7 Bd5 19. Nxd6+ Qxd6 20. Nxc5 Be6 21. Qf3 Bd5 22. Qh3 {with a repetition! There are so many possible side lines there that I find it hard to credit this happening between real people.}) 16. Nd2 (16. Bf4) 16... Qc6 17. f3 Rde8 $2 (17... Rd7 $13) 18. Nc4 $16 Rd8 19. Na5 Qc7 20. Nxb7 Qxb7 21. Qa4 Nf5 22. Bf4 (22. Bf2) 22... Bh6 (22... h6 23. Ne4 g5) 23. Rad1 f6 $6 (23... Rhf8 24. Nxh7 Bxf4 25. Qxf4 Rfe8 26. b3 $16) 24. Ne6 Bxf4 25. Nxf4 $6 (25. Nxd8 $18) 25... Qd7 26. Qa6+ Qb7 27. Qc4 Rde8 28. Nd5 Rhf8 29. b4 Qc6 30. bxc5 $2 (30. g4) ({or} 30. b5 {should win.}) 30... Qxc5+ 31. Qxc5+ dxc5 32. Rxe8+ Rxe8 33. Nxf6 $2 (33. g4 Nh4 34. Kf2 {offers White some chances.}) 33... Re2 34. Rd5 Rxg2+ $4 ({Oh no!} 34... Rxa2 35. Rxc5+ Kb7 36. Nxh7 Ra1+ 37. Kf2 Ra2+ {is a draw.}) 35. Kxg2 1-0

