Commentary - Thessaloniki Grand Prix

The recently-completed Thessaloniki Grand Prix tournament featured some high-level, exciting fighting chess.   It was particularly gratifying to see Gata Kamsky do well, so soon after putting forth a major effort to win his 4th U.S. Championship title.

I enjoyed following the tournament's news and games and selected ones of particular interest to go over.  A win by Kamsky in the English in round 6 against Svidler is featured below, with my own commentary, but two other games also stood out for me.

• Kasimdzhanov-Kamsky from round 7 is a Leningrad Dutch where Kamsky makes what looks like a ballsy temporary sacrifice of a pawn, the commonly weak one on d6 in this variation, then sacrifices the exchange, which leaves his king looking exposed on f7 but prompts an immediate resignation because White has no defense against the coming Black attack.
• Kamsky-Nakamura from round 8 is an unusual French Defense which has some similarities to potential structures that could also be reached from a Caro-Kann.  I selected this game because of that, but also because of moves like 12. b4! that show why it's important to look for dynamic, non-obvious choices as part of your candidate move selection.

Annotated Game #94: How to defeat yourself in the last round of a tournament

This last-round tournament game followed Annotated Game #92 and is a great example of how to defeat yourself using (bad) attitude alone.  I was generally more concerned with getting the game over and the logistics of departing after the tournament, rather than winning the game or playing well.  Since then, I have always made sure to not have any outside considerations affect my last-round games.  This means when traveling I'll stay over in the hotel, which is much more mentally relaxing in any event.

The game itself deserved much better than the attention I gave it.  There are a lot of thematic ideas for both White and Black in a Classical Caro-Kann, including: the sacrificial variation 17. Nxf7!? and what Black could have done to prevent it; the ...c5 break, which could have given Black some initiative even after queenside castling; the dynamic value of minor pieces and the advantage of the two bishops (which Black unusually acquires); and what not to do in a bishop vs. knight endgame.

This was also another game that illustrated the drawbacks of not having a systematic thinking process with an important but subtle example on move 25, where Black should have asked "what changed?" after White's move and then could have found a much stronger continuation.

[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "????.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Class B"] [Black "ChessAdmin"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B18"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Fritz/Houdini"] [PlyCount "109"] {B18: Classical Caro-Kann: 4...Bf5 sidelines B18: Classical Caro-Kann: 4...Bf5 sidelines} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. Bc4 {White is mixing and matching variations here. If Bc4 is intended, normally it is played the move before and followed up with N1e2, in order to target the f4 square.} e6 8. h4 {although this scores very well for White (with a small database sample), most of the games appear to have a large ratings gap in White's favor.} Nh5 {now out of the database. Black takes advantage of his knight placement to stop the h5 pawn advance. A more standard approach would be to play ...h6, as in the following example.} (8... h6 9. Ne5 Bh7 10. Qe2 Nd5 11. c3 a6 12. Bd2 Nd7 13. Nxd7 Qxd7 14. Bd3 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Nf6 16. Ne2 Qd5 17. Nf4 Qe4+ 18. Qxe4 Nxe4 19. Be3 Bd6 20. Nd3 O-O-O 21. O-O-O Nf6 22. Bf4 Bxf4+ 23. Nxf4 Ng4 24. Nd3 c5 25. f3 Ne3 26. Rde1 cxd4 27. Ne5 Rhf8 28. cxd4 Nf5 29. Kb1 Nxd4 30. Rc1+ Kb8 31. Rhd1 f6 32. Nc4 e5 33. Rd2 Nf5 34. Rh1 b5 35. Rxd8+ Rxd8 36. Na5 Rd2 37. g4 Nd4 38. Rf1 Rd3 {0-1 (38) Ehret,R (2105) -Buhmann,R (2315) Schwaebisch Gmuend 1999}) 9. Ne2 {avoiding the knight exchange. Black by this point has equalized, as White does not have any active threats and Black is free to continue developing.} Nd7 10. Be3 {this invites Black to take advantage of the bishop development by checking on the a5-e1 diagonal, as occurs in other Caro-Kann variations. Black may get a "free" developing move by making White move his bishop again, or create the possibility of repeating the position. If White blocks with c3, this is a small positional victory for Black, as that hems in White's dark-square bishop and make castling queenside a less desirable option.} Nb6 {while not a bad move in itself, it makes the position less flexible for Black and does not do anything in particular for his development.} (10... Qa5+ 11. c3 (11. Bd2 Qc7) 11... Bd6) 11. Bb3 Nd5 12. Qd2 {a clear sign that White is considering castling queenside.} Nhf6 {Black decides to bring the knight on the rim back into the game, eyeing the e4 square.} 13. Bg5 {the pin does nothing for White. Black now forces the bishop for knight exchange.} (13. Ne5 $5) 13... h6 (13... Qc7 {would be another way to play, developing the queen and moving out of the pin. White cannot kick the Nd5 because of} 14. c4 Bb4 15. Nc3 Ne4) 14. Bxf6 Nxf6 {Black now has the advantage of the bishop pair, which is rather unusual in this variation.} 15. Ne5 Bh7 16. g4 {this thrust is premature and Black should be able to handle it. However, it looks aggressive and dangerous and I played a passive move in response.} (16. O-O-O Nd5 $11) 16... Nd7 (16... Bd6 { is the primary antidote, using the tactical idea of removing the g4 pawn's protector. It also defends against a possible Nxf7 sacrifice, as the f4 square would be covered, allowing Black to exchange there after a Nf4 follow-up. During the game however, I did not even consider it. Perhaps I was too wedded to the idea of keeping the two bishops.} 17. f4 Bxe5 18. fxe5 Nxg4 19. Qf4 h5 $15) 17. Nd3 (17. Nxf7 {is a typical sacrificial idea that can result in wild complications. I recall looking at it and considering it to be White's best option, being relieved when my opponent declined to pursue it (after taking a significant amount of clock time).} Kxf7 18. Nf4 {this line was originally evaluated by Fritz with a significant advantage to White, but Houdini shows equality, for example} Qf6 19. Nxe6 Nb6 20. Nc7+ Nd5 21. Nxd5 (21. Nxa8 $2 Qf3) 21... cxd5 22. Bxd5+ Ke8) 17... Qc7 (17... Be7 {is simpler and better, developing the piece and targeting the h4 pawn.}) 18. O-O-O O-O-O {Black's king position is now as safe as White's and the two bishops should give him an edge.} 19. Qe3 Bd6 (19... c5 {Both Fritz and Houdini like the idea of playing this pawn break. It appears to loosen Black's king position, but White (especially with the lack of a dark-square bishop) cannot exploit this and the move would help activate Black's pieces.} 20. dxc5 Nxc5 21. Nxc5 Bxc5 $15) 20. Kb1 {a typical "sidestep" that gets the king off the same file as the Qc7 and gives White more flexibility.} Kb8 21. f3 {this continues to leave White vulnerable to the ...c5 pawn break.} (21. Nc3 $5) 21... Rhe8 {Black however continues to look to play solid moves rather than active ones.} 22. Nc3 Nf6 { around here I recall simply wanting the game to be over and end in a draw. This kind of mentality means, among other things, that you are likely to overlook good moves that might actually give you winning chances.} 23. Qf2 Nd5 24. Bxd5 $6 (24. Ne4 $5 $11) 24... exd5 $15 {now Black's remaining minor pieces are clearly superior to White's.} 25. Qd2 (25. f4 Bxd3 26. Rxd3 Bxf4 27. Rf3 g5 $15) 25... Bxd3 {this is a little premature.} (25... Qe7 $5 {is found by the engines. White's last move weakend the f-pawn and one threat is ...Qf6, attacking d4, f3 and h4 all at the same time. Black can now exploit the e-file as well, for example} 26. Qg2 Bxd3 27. Rxd3 Bf4 28. a3 Rd6 29. Rdd1 Re6 $17) 26. Qxd3 Re7 (26... Re6 {would leave the Bd6 a retreat.}) 27. g5 Rde8 {this allows White to weaken Black's pawn structure and penetrate with the queen, giving White the initiative, although Black still enjoys a small advantage.} ( 27... hxg5 28. hxg5 g6 {would be the simple way to deal with White's idea.}) 28. gxh6 (28. Qh7 hxg5 29. Qxg7 gxh4 30. Rxh4 Bb4 $15) 28... gxh6 29. Qh7 Bf4 30. Rhg1 Be3 31. Rg8 (31. Rg4 $5) 31... Qd8 $6 {Black starts to revert to more passive play again, becoming preoccupied with White's threats rather than looking for objective (and active) best moves.} (31... Qf4 $17 {is pointed out by the engines, freeing c7 for the king and targeting the f3 pawn.}) 32. Rg7 Qd7 {I was still thinking draw here. Houdini assesses the position as a half-pawn in Black's favor.} 33. a3 {sensibly creating "luft" for the king.} f5 {Black looks to simplify down and get the draw he wants.} (33... Qe6 $5 34. Rg8 Qf6 {has a similar ideas as in the above variation, as Black's queen helps bottle up White's queen and targets the f-pawn.}) 34. Rxe7 Rxe7 35. Qg8+ Kc7 $6 {this hands the initiative to White, who now also has some prospects for usefully employing the Nc3, which has been on the sidelines all game.} (35... Qc8 36. Qg6 Re6 $11) 36. Qa8 $11 Bf2 {another dubious decision, the idea being to trade the a-pawn for White's h-pawn. This gives White too much initiative on the queenside, however.} (36... a6 {would be simpler:} 37. Na4 Qc8 38. Qa7 Qb8) 37. h5 (37. Qxa7 Re1 38. Rxe1 Bxe1 39. Qc5 Bxh4 40. Nb5+ {would make Black's life difficult, although he should be able to hold with} Kc8) 37... Qe8 38. Qxa7 Re1 ({Less advisable is} 38... Qxh5 39. Na4 Qe8 40. Nc5 $16 {comments Fritz.}) 39. Rxe1 Qxe1+ 40. Ka2 Qd2 $11 {now this really should be a draw, despite Black being a pawn down.} 41. Qc5 Kb8 42. Qf8+ {White forks: b8+f5} Ka7 43. Qxf5 Bxd4 $14 (43... Qxd4 {would make Black's life easier, centralizing the queen and making it much more active.}) 44. Qd3 Qxd3 45. cxd3 {here Black's task is difficult but he should have drawing chances due to his bishop and White's weaker pawn structure (4 islands vs. 2 for Black).} Kb6 46. Kb3 Kc5 47. Kc2 Be3 $6 (47... Bf2 $11) 48. Ne2 {ingenious use of White's knight to dominate the bishop, which is now revealed to be awkwardly placed.} Kd6 49. d4 Ke6 50. Kd3 Bf2 51. b4 Kf6 {Black needs to think about activating the bishop here, perhaps with ...Bh4.} 52. a4 b6 $4 {an elementary endgame blunder. Black's pieces now cannot stop White's a-pawn after it advances.} (52... Be1 $5 ) 53. a5 $18 bxa5 54. bxa5 Be1 55. Nc3 {this wins, but simply pushing a6 does as well.} 1-0

Training quote of the day #4: Euclid

Proclus (410-485) tells us that Ptolemy Soter, the first King of Egypt and the founder of the Alexandrian Museum, patronized the Museum by studying geometry there under Euclid. He found the subject difficult and one day asked his teacher if there weren't some easier way to learn the material. To this Euclid replied, "Oh King, in the real world there are two kinds of roads, roads for the common people to travel upon and roads reserved for the King to travel upon. In geometry there is no royal road."

(Source: library.thinkquest.org)

Commentary - 2013 U.S. Championships, Round 9

In the last round (round 9) of the U.S. Championships, a number of games were worth examining closely for my training purposes.  The news link above includes the Robson-Kamsky game, which I don't look at here but which was fascinating to see during the live commentary. Kamsky again drew an unbalanced endgame after some complications, eventually winning the later playoff against Ramirez.

Game 1: GM Alejandro Ramirez - GM Larry Christiansen
This was an exciting contest in a Symmetrical English that Christiansen decided to unbalance with an early ...e5.  It was White's move 23 pawn sacrifice that really unbalanced the game, however, an excellent example of a sacrifice invigorating a position.  White breaks into Black's position starting on move 34 and some complex tactics ensue.  Winning this game put Ramirez into the playoff with Kamsky.

[Event "2013 U.S. and Womens' Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, Missouri, USA"] [Date "2013.05.12"] [Round "9.7"] [White "Ramirez, Alejandro"] [Black "Christiansen, Larry"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A37"] [WhiteElo "2551"] [BlackElo "2579"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "79"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [TimeControl "6000+890"] [WhiteClock "0:19:06"] [BlackClock "0:10:41"] 1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 {Black is not usually this committal on move 3, preferring to develop with ...g6 and Bg7 or bringing out the other knight. Christiansen is indicating early that he is looking for an aggressive, unbalanced response and not a drawish line.} 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. a3 { this can be a prelude to a pawn sacrifice on b4, but this game continues in a more standard fashion, although the usual pawn push d3 is delayed.} Nge7 7. Rb1 (7. b4 {and now accepting the pawn can be extremely dangerous for Black, for example} cxb4 8. axb4 Nxb4 9. Ba3 Nec6 10. Nd5 e4 11. Nxb4 exf3 12. Bxf3 Nxb4 13. Bxb4 Bxa1 14. Qxa1 f6 15. Bd5 d6 16. O-O Kf8 17. Qa3 Kg7 18. Bxd6 Re8 19. e4 Bh3 20. Rb1 b6 21. d4 Qd7 22. e5 Qf5 23. Re1 fxe5 24. Bxe5+ Kh6 25. Be4 Qg4 26. Qe3+ g5 27. f3 Qd7 28. Bf6 Qf5 29. Be5 Qf7 30. g4 Rac8 31. Bd5 Qd7 32. Kf2 b5 33. Ra1 a5 34. Rxa5 Bxg4 35. h4 Qf5 36. Ra6+ Kh5 37. Bf7+ Kxh4 38. Rh6+ { 1-0 (38) Aguettaz,M (2443)-Tomazini,Z (2267) Pula 2012}) 7... O-O 8. O-O a5 9. Ne1 {part of the standard plan in this position, to reposition the knight with the idea of supporting the b4 advance.} d6 10. Nc2 a4 {as mentioned during the live commentary, the idea is to disrupt the b4 advance by taking en passant on b3, which would prevent White from recapturing with the a3 pawn as normal after an exchange on b4. White therefore continues by moving the knight on yet again.} 11. Ne3 Nd4 {the knight looks really strong here and White has no good way to get rid of it in the near term.} 12. d3 {usually this is played earlier, among other things to free up the Bc1, which is now blocked by the Ne3.} h6 { this guards against the typical Bg5 idea White has, with either an awkward pin on the Ne7 or provoking ...f6 as the result. Although it's a prophylactic move, I'm not sure it was truly necessary and perhaps Black could have done something more for his development.} 13. Re1 (13. Nxa4 {this pawn snatch doesn't tactically work, as also pointed out during the live commentary, due to a deflection tactic after} Nxe2+ 14. Qxe2 Rxa4) 13... Qa5 {after White's last move ...Nxe2 no longer tactically protects the a4 pawn, so Black has to defend it the old-fashioned way by moving a piece.} 14. Ned5 Nxd5 15. Bxd5 Kh7 {proactively moving off the diagonal with the pin on the f-pawn.} 16. Be3 { White would be fine with trading his bishop, which has little scope, for Black's finely posted knight.} Nb3 17. Ne4 Qb6 18. Nd2 f5 19. Nxb3 {White finally gets rid of the knight in his territory and saddles Black with defending the isolated b3 pawn.} axb3 20. Bd2 {White continues his piece maneuvers, getting out of the way of further Black pawn pushes and allowing his next move.} Bd7 21. e3 {concentrating on defending the key f4 square.} Rae8 22. Bc3 Re7 (22... f4 {would be premature here, for example} 23. exf4 exf4 24. Rxe8 Rxe8 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Qf3 $14) 23. a4 {Houdini immediately finds this move and likes its dynamic possibilities. This was a key point in the game, as Ramirez's positional pawn sacrifice completely changes the dynamics of the game.} Bxa4 24. Ra1 Ra8 25. e4 {again both Ramirez and Houdini agree on the next aggressive blow, this time in the center.} f4 26. gxf4 exf4 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 28. Qf3 {see how this idea from the move 22 variation makes a reappearance. Black's pieces on the queenside are temporarily out of play, as pointed out during the live commentary, while White now has local superiority on the kingside for an attack.} Re5 29. Qxf4 Rf8 30. Qe3 Bc6 31. f4 Rh5 {this turns out to bit a bit awkward after White's next move.} (31... Ree8 $5) 32. Qg3 $14 Bxd5 33. exd5 Rhf5 {after this, White's rooks open up with heavy fire on Black's position.} (33... Qc7 {is Houdini's move and was also mentioned during the commentary. Black needs to get the queen back over for defense.}) 34. Re6 ( 34. Re7+ {was favored in the live commentary and is also Houdini's preference for continuing the attack. The idea is to force the rook on the 8th rank off before playing Ra8. In the game continuation, Black voluntarily does this, making things easier for White.} R8f7 (34... R5f7 35. f5 g5 36. Re6 Rf6 37. h4) 35. Re6 R5f6 36. Ra8) 34... R8f6 (34... R5f6) 35. Ra8 Rxe6 36. dxe6 Qc7 37. Re8 (37. Qh4 {was brought up during the live commentary as the strongest continuation.} g5 38. Qh5) 37... d5 {this loses immediately to the pawn push, although the tactic is not necessarily obvious.} (37... g5) 38. e7 Kf7 39. Rh8 Kxe7 40. Qxg6 {and now Black loses material, with his Rf5 under attack and the simultaneous White threat of skewering his king and queen along the 7th rank.} 1-0

Game 2: GM Timur Gareev - GM Conrad Holt
The opening phase saw Holt reject a possible early draw in an Exchange Slav and eventually end up in a closed position, but with some chances for both sides to try and make progress.  Choices made about where to play were worth studying, with Houdini for example suggesting White could have pursued a queenside strategy.  A long endgame struggle ends after a slip by Holt allows White to force a queen exchange that would give him a winning K+P endgame.

[Event "2013 U.S. and Womens' Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, Missouri, USA"] [Date "2013.05.12"] [Round "9.8"] [White "Gareev, Timur"] [Black "Holt, Conrad"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D13"] [WhiteElo "2674"] [BlackElo "2513"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "168"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [TimeControl "6000+1155"] [WhiteClock "0:02:16"] [BlackClock "0:00:34"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 {the Exchange Slav, which has the reputation for being a very drawish opening. It can be, but usually only if both players are happy with a draw.} cxd5 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 {varying with ...a6 or ...Qb6 here would be one way to go for a more unbalanced position.} 6. Bf4 Nh5 { the classic treatment of the variation is to keep symmetry with ...Bf5. The text move in fact scores over 50 percent in the database.} 7. Bd2 {the usual choice, White chooses a safe path for the bishop, implicitly arguing that while the Bd2 isn't on a great square, the Nh5 is on a worse one.} e6 { indicating that Black is looking for an unbalanced game.} (7... Nf6 {is the drawing line, if Black is willing to accept that outcome. White is faced with the choice of continuing play with his bishop on d2, moving it to another substandard square, or repeating moves.}) 8. e3 Bd6 9. Ne5 g6 {only a handful of games are in the database, but this scores 70 percent for White. Weakening the dark-square complex like this looks strange, but White is not in a position to take advantage of it, with his relevant bishop locked in. It also allows the possibility of Nh5-g7-f5 at some point.} (9... Nf6 {is the other main choice, which scores better for Black overall, although not in the following high-level example, also a long endgame win fo White.} 10. f4 O-O 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. O-O b6 13. Be1 Bb7 14. Bh4 Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qb3 Qe8 17. Bxe7 Qxe7 18. a4 Bb4 19. f5 f6 20. Ng4 Rac8 21. Rfc1 Rfe8 22. Nf2 a5 23. Rc2 Ba6 24. Qxe6+ Qxe6 25. fxe6 Rxe6 26. Rac1 Rec6 27. d5 R6c7 28. Rd1 f5 29. g4 g6 30. gxf5 gxf5 31. Nh3 Rg7+ 32. Rg2 Bc5 33. Rxg7+ Kxg7 34. Kf2 Kf6 35. Nf4 Bc4 36. Rg1 Bb4 37. h4 Bb3 38. Nfe2 Rd8 39. Nd4 Bxd5 40. Rg5 Be6 41. Rh5 Kg6 42. Nxe6 Rd2+ 43. Ke1 Rxb2 44. Nf4+ Kg7 45. Rg5+ Kf6 46. Nfd5+ Ke5 47. Nxb4 axb4 48. Ne2 Kd5 49. Rxf5+ Kc4 50. Rb5 Ra2 51. Rxb6 b3 52. Nd4 b2 53. Kd1 Ra3 54. Kd2 Ra2 55. Nc2 h5 56. a5 Rxa5 57. Rb4+ Kd5 58. Rxb2 Ke5 59. Nd4 Ra3 60. Rb5+ Kf6 61. Rxh5 Rd3+ 62. Ke2 Rxd4 63. exd4 {1-0 (63) Ivanchuk,V (2729)-Morozevich,A (2721) Monte Carlo 2006}) 10. Nb5 Be7 {Black needs to keep the bishop on the board to help cover the dark squares.} 11. Bd3 O-O 12. O-O a6 $11 {Black has apparently achieved what he intended, reaching equality out of the opening but in a relatively unbalanced position which may give him chances to pursue a win.} 13. Nc3 Bd6 {this appears to lose Black time and give White some initiative.} ( 13... Nxe5 {seems logical here, getting rid of the strong Ne5, which is an analagous theme in the Stonewall.}) 14. f4 {now exchanging on e5 would be favorable for White, giving him a cramping pawn on e5 and the half-open f-file. } Bd7 15. Qf3 (15. Na4 {is Houdini's choice here, with the idea of pursuing a queenside strategy and following up with Rc1.}) 15... Be8 (15... f5 {is another option, going for a Stonewall-like formation that would shut White down on the kingside.}) 16. Qh3 Ng7 17. Rf3 {an aggressive-looking move that goes nowhere for White and causes him to lose time repositioning the rook later.} (17. Rac1 $5) 17... f6 18. Ng4 h5 19. Nf2 f5 {this seems unnecessary, as the Be8 already covers g6 (why it was moved there in the first place, one would imagine).} (19... Rc8 $5 {immediately looks fine.}) 20. Bf1 Rc8 21. Rd1 { at this point we have a largely closed position with a lot of pieces clogging up the board. Both sides attempt to reposition themselves.} Rf7 (21... Bf7 { followed by Ng7-e8-f6 would bring the knight back into the game.}) 22. Nd3 Rfc7 {While the doubled rooks look good, it's unclear what they can accomplish on the c-file.} 23. Be1 Be7 24. Rf2 Bf7 {as happened earlier, Houdini again prefers a queenside strategy starting with Na4, looking to exploit the hole on b6.} 25. Ne5 (25. Na4 {as happened earlier, Houdini again prefers a queenside strategy starting with the text move, looking to exploit the hole on b6.}) 25... Nxe5 {now that the position is closed on the kingside, this is a more favorable exchange for Black.} 26. dxe5 Be8 27. Rfd2 Bd7 (27... g5 {is what the aggressive engine recommends. Black in fact has a structure similar to a Dutch Stonewall, with the potential for a well-supported pawn advance on the kingside.}) 28. Bd3 Qf8 (28... Bc5 {looks good, hitting the e3 pawn, but Black has different ideas in mind for his bishops.}) 29. Rc2 {inviting Black's next move.} Ba4 30. b3 Bb5 31. Qf3 Bb4 {this sets off a sequence of complex exchanges.} (31... Bxd3 32. Rxd3 b5 {followed by ...Bb4 gives Black a small plus here, according to Houdini.}) 32. Nxb5 Rxc2 33. Bxb4 Qxb4 34. Nd6 Kh7 35. h3 {neither side it seems wants to resolve the question of which Black rook will be taken.} Rc1 36. Nxc8 {finally!} Rxc8 {after the dust settles, Houdini considers the position as equal. With only the c-file open and more or less equivalent minor pieces, that seems reasonable.} 37. g4 hxg4 38. hxg4 {White has opened the h-file, which he perhaps has a better chance to exploit, as well as clearing some more light squares for his bishop.} Qa3 39. Qe2 Kg8 40. Kg2 Rc1 41. Rd2 Qc5 42. Rc2 {deciding to force the exchange.} Rxc2 43. Bxc2 { again, full equality.} Kf7 44. Kg3 d4 45. gxf5 gxf5 46. e4 d3 47. Qxd3 Qg1+ 48. Kf3 Qh1+ 49. Ke3 Qg1+ 50. Kd2 Qf2+ 51. Kd1 Qg1+ 52. Kd2 Qf2+ 53. Kc3 Qxf4 { a long dance to maintain equality.} 54. Qd7+ Kg8 55. Qc8+ Kh7 56. Qxb7 Qxe5+ 57. Kc4 Qb2 58. Bd3 Qc1+ 59. Kd4 Qg1+ 60. Kc3 Qa1+ 61. Kb4 a5+ 62. Kc5 (62. Kxa5 $2 Qc3+ {picks up the bishop.}) 62... e5 (62... Qc3+ {would have continued the dance.}) 63. Qd5 f4 {Black appears to be trying for a win - otherwise he could have continued the previous sequence of checks - but his queen is somewhat misplaced and his knight is out of the action, leaving White with good counterplay.} 64. Kd6 Qxa2 (64... f3 $5) 65. Bc4 Qa3+ 66. Kxe5 { Houdini considers this equal, but it looks a lot easier to play as White here.} Qe7+ {what should be the losing move, according to Houdini. White now picks up the f-pawn, but is subjected to a series of checks.} (66... f3) (66... Qf8) 67. Kxf4 Qh4+ 68. Ke3 Qe1+ 69. Kd4 (69. Kf3 {would eventually allow White's king to run to the queenside and block the checks, keeping the extra pawn.} Qh1+ 70. Kf2 Qh4+ 71. Ke2 Qg4+ 72. Kd2 Qf4+ 73. Kc2 Qf2+ 74. Kc3 Qe1+ 75. Qd2) 69... Qg1+ 70. Ke5 Qg3+ 71. Kf6 {now Black regains the pawn after another series of checks.} Qf4+ 72. Ke7 Qc7+ 73. Qd7 Qe5+ 74. Kf8 Qb8+ 75. Ke7 Qe5+ 76. Be6 Qxe4 $11 77. Qd5 Qb4+ (77... Qxd5 78. Bxd5 Nf5+ {is an excellent drawing idea. White cannot stop Black from eliminating his last pawn, for example} 79. Kd7 Nd4 80. Kd6 Nxb3) 78. Kf6 Qh4+ 79. Kf7 Qf4+ 80. Ke7 Qb4+ 81. Kd7 Nxe6 82. Kxe6 {Black, after playing a long and what must have been exhausting game, now lets it slip away quickly, showing how difficult queen endings can be.} Kh6 (82... Qe1+) 83. Kd7 {White screens himself from further checks, giving himself the initiative.} Kg7 {this now allows White to gang up with both king and queen on the Black king and then force an exchange of queens, with a winning K+P ending. } (83... a4 84. Qc6+ Kh5 85. bxa4 {looks good for White as well.}) 84. Qe5+ Kf7 {one continuation would be Qe6+, Kf8, Qe8+, Kg7 and then Qe7+} 1-0

Game 3: FM John Bryant - Yaacov Norowitz
The Caro-Kann Bronstein-Larsen variation finally chalks up a win in this event, as Norowitz masterfully uses Black's positional characteristics to his advantage, instead of having White take over the initiative as occurred in previous games.  It is both fitting and ironic that Black's doubled f-pawns are the key to final victory.

[Event "2013 U.S. and Womens' Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, Missouri, USA"] [Date "2013.05.12"] [Round "9.11"] [White "Bryant, John"] [Black "Norowitz, Yaacov"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "B16"] [WhiteElo "2442"] [BlackElo "2451"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [TimeControl "6000+1385"] [WhiteClock "0:13:01"] [BlackClock "0:02:50"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 {Norowitz is persistent, still playing the Bronstein-Larsen after losses with it in two previous rounds.} 6. Nf3 {not the most challenging continuation, as it invites Black to develop his bishop with a pin.} Bg4 7. Be2 e6 8. O-O Bd6 {instead of the ...Qc7 played in the first round against Christiansen.} 9. c4 Rg8 {a move that Norowitz never managed to get in during the round 1 game.} 10. Kh1 Nd7 11. d5 Qe7 {Norowitz now varies from Tringov-Smyslov (!), presented below as a fine example of an attacking game in this opening line.} (11... Nc5 12. Nd4 f5 13. Bxg4 Rxg4 14. h3 Qf6 15. Nf3 Rxc4 16. dxc6 Ne4 17. cxb7 Rb8 18. Qd3 Rb4 19. Be3 R4xb7 20. b3 Rd7 21. Qa6 Bc5 22. Bxc5 Nxc5 23. Qa5 Nd3 24. Kg1 Rbd8 25. Rab1 Kf8 26. Ne1 Ne5 27. f4 Ng6 28. Nf3 Kg7 29. g3 Rc8 30. Rbd1 Rdc7 31. Rd2 Qe7 32. Ne5 Rc5 33. Nxg6 hxg6 34. Qb4 Qf6 35. Re1 a5 36. Qa3 Rc3 37. Kh2 Rxg3 38. Qxa5 Qh4 {0-1 (38) Tringov,G-Smyslov,V Havana 1965}) 12. dxc6 bxc6 13. Nd4 Bxe2 14. Qxe2 {White has exchanged off another pair of minor pieces, a good strategic move that brings him closer to the endgame.} Rc8 15. Qh5 {White decides to go pawn hunting, which does not turn out well for him.} (15. Be3 { seems solid.}) 15... f5 {a key move idea in this variation (also played earlier on in the Smyslov game given above). The diagonal is opened up for Black's queen and the doubled pawn is used to grab space in White's territory.} 16. Qxh7 Nf6 {Black uses the pawn sacrifice to activate his pieces, moving his knight into the game and also making the Bd6 a much more powerful piece with the h-file now open for attacking purposes (targeting the h2 pawn).} 17. Qh3 Ng4 18. g3 {this cuts off the Black bishop, but causes additional problems for White.} (18. f3 Nxh2 19. Re1 Nf1 {is a wild line, in which Black is OK because of the latent threat of a pin on the h-file, for example} 20. Rxf1 $2 (20. Nxf5 Ng3+ 21. Nxg3 Bxg3 22. Re2 $11) 20... Qf6 $19) (18. Nf3 {may be a more solid defense.}) 18... Bc5 $15 19. f3 Bxd4 20. fxg4 Rxg4 {Black has now regained his sacrificed pawn and his pieces are certainly more active and better placed, although the position is still quite sharp.} 21. Qg2 Qb4 22. Bf4 {now White chooses to sacrifice the c-pawn, but his compensation is not as robust as Black's was earlier.} (22. Qc2 $5) 22... Qxc4 23. Rfd1 e5 $17 {now Black gets rolling in the center and the strength of this passed pawn proves to be the deciding factor in the end.} 24. Rac1 Qe6 25. Re1 f6 {a remarkable display of how Black's normally weak pawn grouping can become a strength.} 26. Be3 Kf7 27. Bxd4 Rxd4 28. Rf1 Kg6 {a bold and effective use of the king. Ironically White's two kingside pawns serve as effective shields for Black's king.} (28... e4 {was also possible.}) 29. Rc2 Rcd8 {Black's domination of the central squares and files is now complete.} 30. h4 (30. Rxc6 Qxa2 31. h4 Rd1 $19) 30... Rd1 31. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 32. Kh2 Qd5 $19 33. Rf2 (33. Qxd5 cxd5 {and Black's central pawns will be unstoppable.}) 33... Qxg2+ {Black prefers to trade queens here and head into the less complicated rook ending.} 34. Kxg2 $17 Rd4 (34... c5 $5) 35. Rc2 f4 36. g4 (36. Rxc6 $2 {would be bad due to} Rd2+ {and now White loses the g-pawn in all variations, for example} 37. Kh3 Rd3 38. Kh2 Rxg3) (36. gxf4 Rxf4 37. Kg3 {might be a more stubborn defense.}) 36... Rd3 $19 {Black's rook dominates White's back ranks and can enable the Black pawns to roll forward.} 37. Kh2 Rg3 38. Rg2 Rxg2+ 39. Kxg2 e4 {now Black's extra f-pawn ensures his victory, a fitting end for a Bronstein-Larsen game!} 0-1

Game 4: GM Melik Khachiyan - GM Marc Arnold
For Slav devotees, this game is an excellent illustration of why almost no one plays a fianchetto against it.

[Event "2013 U.S. and Womens' Championship"] [Site "Saint Louis, Missouri, USA"] [Date "2013.05.12"] [Round "9.14"] [White "Khachiyan, Melik"] [Black "Arnold, Marc"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "D11"] [WhiteElo "2518"] [BlackElo "2538"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "36"] [EventDate "2013.??.??"] [TimeControl "6000+1130"] [WhiteClock "0:26:00"] [BlackClock "0:18:49"] 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. g3 {an uncommon continuation with some transpositional possibilities.} c6 {Black chooses a Slav setup, which immediately aims to nullify White's pending bishop development to g2.} 4. Bg2 Bf5 5. O-O Nbd7 6. c4 {we now have a fianchetto-type Slav, which is not nearly as effective an opening for White as the analagous Catalan against the QGD (without ...c6 being played)} e6 7. Qb3 {an aggressive move, but one which scores over 56 percent for Black in the database. All of the main continuations favor Black, showing how the fianchetto line versus the Slav is generally ineffective.} Qc8 {a rather passive development for the queen.} (7... Qb6 {is the most popular and should be the easiest road to equality. Exchanging queens on b6 would be fine for Black, as he then would get the half-open a-file and the doubled b-pawns are not in fact weak.}) 8. Nc3 dxc4 {a novelty in the database. Black normally continues to maintain the tension in the center and have the extra control over e4. The text move leads to a looser continuation by Black which is more aggressive and unbalanced.} (8... h6 {is the most played here.}) 9. Qxc4 b5 10. Qb3 b4 {the logical follow-up. Now that Black has chosen this aggressive line which also weakens his queenside, he needs to keep hitting White's pieces to disrupt his opponent and keep him off-balance.} 11. Na4 (11. Nb1 {is an alternative, looking to reposition the knight to d2.}) 11... Be4 12. Bd2 {White plays carefully to neutralize Black's chances.} (12. Bg5 $5 Bd5 13. Qd3 Be4 14. Qe3 {would see White play for an advantage and avoid the repetition line from the game.}) 12... Bd5 13. Qc2 Qa6 {by attacking the Na4 and the e2 pawn simultaneously, Black sets up the conditions for the repetition. The White queen must stay on the d1-a4 diagonal to protect the knight and White also has to worry about the pawn.} 14. Rfe1 Be4 15. Qb3 { White accepts the idea of a draw by repetition.} (15. Qd1 {would avoid this, but the position is equal in any case.}) 15... Bd5 16. Qc2 Be4 17. Qb3 Bd5 18. Qc2 Be4 1/2-1/2

Commentary - 2013 U.S. Championships, Round 8

The most interesting games of round 8 for me were on the two top boards, where Kamsky-Gareev saw some wild swings and an eventual forced repetition by Black, while Abrahamyan-Krush was a full-on clash in a Taimanov Sicilian.  The games and comments can be found at the above link.

The most relevant game again for my studies was a Caro-Kann, the third (!) time the Bronstein-Larsen variation has appeared at the championships.  This time it was Alexander Stripunsky who essayed it as Black against Robert Hess, however, not Yaacov Norowitz.  Alas, Black again went down to defeat after failing to generate any kingside attack or meaningful counterplay.  In none of the games has Black seemed to want to be as aggressive as the opening demands; in this game, for example, he could have played the early 6...h5!? which in fact scores quite well.

Live coverage of round 9 is ongoing and it looks like Gata Kamsky may be trying to bait Ray Robson into a premature attack against his unusual, somewhat passive-looking Sicilian Kan variation.  A Kamsky win would give him clear first place. Meanwhile, Irina Krush as White only needs to draw against Camilla Baginskaite in order to ensure her title victory in the women's championship.

[Event "US Chess Championships"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2013.05.11"] [Round "8"] [White "Robert Hess"] [Black "Alexander Stripunsky"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "B16"] [WhiteElo "2595"] [BlackElo "2570"] [Annotator "ChessAdmin/Houdini"] [PlyCount "71"] [EventDate "2013.05.03"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ gxf6 {the Bronstein-Larsen makes its third appearance in the championships.} 6. g3 {Hess avoids the main line with c3, as the other White players have done in this tournament. Here he chooses to immediately fianchettoes his bishop. While this is a main idea in the c3 line, the early fianchetto is rarely played.} Nd7 {has not been played before in the database. This seems like a slow way to develop.} (6... h5 { actually scores over 60 percent for Black. Kingside aggression is the key to success in this variation.}) 7. Bg2 Nb6 {an early commitment of the knight to this square, but Black now needs to get it out of the way of his bishop and queen.} 8. b3 {White focuses on pawn moves rather than piece development.} (8. Nf3 $5) 8... Bf5 (8... h5 {is what Houdini likes here, but Black evidently doesn't feel aggressive enough.}) 9. c4 Qd7 10. a4 Rd8 {with White's queenside pawns already looking menacing, Black decides not to castle long.} 11. a5 Nc8 12. a6 $14 b6 {Despite White's lack of piece development to this point, his bishops have great prospects and has a potentially better king position, while Black's king is not so comfortable.} 13. Ne2 Bh3 14. Bxh3 Qxh3 15. Nf4 Qd7 16. O-O $16 {Black's sole attacking idea on the kingside, exchanging on Bg2, has been neutralized by White, who now also has a significantly safer king.} Bg7 ( 16... Qxd4 $6 17. Qf3 {threatens c6 and gives White major attacking prospects.} Bg7 (17... Qxa1 $2 18. Qxc6+ Rd7 19. Qxc8+ Rd8 20. Qc6+ Rd7 21. Rd1) 18. Ba3) 17. Qf3 O-O {while not a poor move in this situation, it's a bad strategic sign for Black, who was not able to use the g-file for anything and now is saddled with permanent positional flaws.} 18. d5 cxd5 19. Nxd5 f5 20. Ra2 { White keeps his options open for the rook.} e6 21. Nb4 Qd4 {it appears like Black is lashing out desperately, hoping for counterplay.} (21... Qe8 {is Houdini's suggestion, which is more passive and defensive in nature.}) 22. Qb7 Qc3 23. Nc6 {White's pieces are simply dominant at this point.} Rd3 24. Ra3 { White now safely neutralizes Black's attack.} Bd4 25. b4 Qxc4 26. Rxd3 Qxd3 27. Nxd4 Qxd4 28. Bh6 {although now a pawn down, this is meaningless, as White's pieces still thoroughly dominate the board.} Rd8 29. Rc1 Nd6 30. Qxa7 Ne4 31. Be3 Qxb4 32. Qxb6 Qxb6 33. Bxb6 {the win now takes shape.} Ra8 34. a7 Nf6 ( 34... Nd6 {would be more stubborn, according to Houdini.}) 35. Bd4 Nd5 36. Rb1 {and Black cannot stop Rb8} 1-0