[Event "USCF/WS/23VP11"] [Date "2023.07.30"] [White "Vila, Brandon"] [Black "Harper, Kenneth"] [Result "0-1"] [Annotator "Irons,Robert"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B13"] [Opening "Caro-Kann Defense: Panov Attack, Modern Defense, Mieses Line"] [StudyName "Check is in the Mail: September 2023"] [ChapterName "Vila, Brandon - Harper, Kenneth"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/5lK7nI0w/oyEJLeJI"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8. Qb3 Bxf3 9. gxf3 Nb6!? { Slightly better is } (9... e6 10. Qxb7 Nxd4 11. Bb5+ Nxb5 12. Qc6+ Ke7 13. Qxb5 Qd7 { which Stockfish says is dead even. } (13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Qd7 $14 { as in Fischer - Euwe, Leipzig 1960, is slightly better for White. })) 10. Be3 e6 11. O-O-O Be7 12. d5 exd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Rxd5 Qc7 15. Kb1 O-O 16. f4 Nb4 17. Rd1 Qc6 18. Bh3? { 18. Be2 or even 18. Bc4 would have been better. Abandoning the f1-a6 diagonal leaves White with only his queen directly defending the white king, while Black has not only the knight and the queen but the bishop is standing ready as well. After this move, however, the bishop won't be needed, as White has no time to bring up reinforcements. Abandoning the f1-a6 diagonal gives Black a "local" lead in development, increasing what Mikhail Tal referred to as the "assault ratio" faced by White's king. The result is devastating. } 18... Qe4+ { 0-1 Black wins. } (18... Ka1 19. Nc2+ Kb1 20. Nxe3+ { leaves Black up significant material and White with little to play for. }) (18... Kc1?! 19. Rac8+ Bxc8 20. Rxc8+ Kd2 21. Rc2+ Qxc2 (21... Ke1 22. Qxh1#) 22. Qxc2+ Ke1 23. Nd3+) 0-1