[Event "U.S. Senior Chess Championship 2024"] [Site "St. Louis"] [Date "2024.07.21"] [Round "06"] [White "Becerra Rivero, Julio"] [Black "Akopian, Vladimir"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2419"] [BlackElo "2583"] [TimeControl "7200+30"] [Annotator "Matt Clibanoff"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C42"] [Opening "Petrov's Defense: Cozio Attack"] [StudyName "2024 U.S. National Championships (Junior/Girls' Junior/Senior)"] [ChapterName "Becerra Rivero, Julio - Akopian, Vladimir"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/HdJRwKaQ/qHBiRujg"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4? { I'm going to call this a mistake. Obviously 1. e4 is a good first move, but when trying to stake claim to a tournament of this caliber, White should be aware that his opponent likely has either a Berlin or a Petrov draw death line up his sleeve for this very situation. Opting for 1. c4, 1. d4, or even 1. b3 (editor's note: no love for 1. Nf3!?) could have yielded a more decisive result. No risk no reward! } { [%clk 2:00:57] } 1... e5 { [%clk 2:00:32] } 2. Nf3 { [%clk 2:01:14] } 2... Nf6 { A Petrov. Akopian takes very little risk in a game where a loss could majorly shake up the tournament. } { [%clk 2:00:37] } 3. Nxe5 { [%clk 1:59:16] } 3... d6 { [%clk 2:00:57] } 4. Nf3 { [%clk 1:59:41] } 4... Nxe4 { [%clk 2:01:21] } 5. Qe2 { [%clk 1:59:14] } 5... Qe7 { [%clk 2:01:38] } 6. d3 { [%clk 1:59:38] } 6... Nf6 { [%clk 2:02:03] } 7. Bg5 { [%clk 1:59:58] } 7... Qxe2+ { [%clk 2:01:54] } 8. Bxe2 { [%clk 2:00:22] } 8... Be7 { Queens are off, we're officially in snoozeville. } { Editor's note: why study an "uneventful" draw? Besides the implications for the tournament standings, it's not so easy to draw a drawn position. Many players have "played for a draw" only to play too passively and let things slip. Akopian's technique is highly educational here. } { [%clk 2:02:19] } 9. Nc3 { [%clk 2:00:34] } 9... h6 { [%clk 2:02:28] } 10. Bd2 { [%clk 2:00:22] } 10... a6 { [%clk 1:46:34] } 11. O-O-O { [%clk 1:55:54] } 11... Nc6 { [%clk 1:30:56] } 12. Rde1 { [%clk 1:51:34] } 12... Be6 { [%clk 1:29:47] } 13. h3 { [%clk 1:48:57] } 13... d5 { [%clk 1:25:00] } 14. Bd1 { [%clk 1:45:08] } 14... Bc5 { [%clk 1:16:52] } 15. Rhf1 { [%clk 1:42:56] } 15... O-O-O { [%clk 1:16:37] } (15... d4!? { Were Black pushing for something, this might be the way to go, grabbing an inch of space. Still, even here it's hard for either side to make meaningful progress. }) 16. a3 { [%clk 1:39:25] } 16... Rhe8 { [%clk 1:13:32] } 17. Ne5 { [%clk 1:26:44] } 17... Nxe5 { [%clk 1:11:11] } 18. Rxe5 { [%clk 1:26:57] } 18... Bd7! { If you're Akopian looking for a draw, this is about as logical a move as you can find. } { [%clk 0:55:02] } (18... Bd6! { A little more pressure might have been nice! }) 19. f4! { An attempt at grabbing central space that will be thwarted by Black's next move. } { [%clk 1:23:46] } 19... Bd6 { [%clk 0:53:34] } 20. Rxe8 { More or less forced. } { [%clk 1:22:30] } 20... Rxe8 { [%clk 0:53:37] } 21. Bf3 { [%clk 1:22:45] } 21... d4 { [%clk 0:50:24] } 22. Ne4 { [%clk 1:18:00] } 22... Nxe4 { [%clk 0:50:33] } 23. Bxe4 { [%clk 1:18:08] } 23... f5 { [%clk 0:49:45] } 24. Bf3 { [%clk 1:18:13] } 24... c5 { If this weren't a game with huge tournament implications, I wouldn't even be annotating it! There have been a number of exciting games in the Senior this year, but this one is the epitome of what is sometimes referred to (unfairly!) as "old man chess." } { [%clk 0:46:50] } 25. Kd1 { [%clk 1:11:14] } 25... Kc7 { [%clk 0:46:23] } 26. Re1 { [%clk 0:59:27] } 26... Rxe1+ { [%clk 0:46:28] } 27. Kxe1 { [%clk 0:59:52] } 27... Bc6 { [%clk 0:45:35] } 28. Bxc6! { Once again forced, White cannot risk doubled f-pawns in the ending. } { [%clk 0:59:19] } (28. Kf2 Bxf3 29. Kxf3 { Akopian was likely fine trading here as well. }) 28... Kxc6 { [%clk 0:46:01] } 29. a4 { [%clk 0:59:43] } 29... b5 { [%clk 0:45:28] } 30. axb5+ { [%clk 0:59:03] } 30... axb5 { [%clk 0:45:53] } 31. Ke2 { [%clk 0:57:48] } 31... g6 { [%clk 0:38:41] } 32. g3 { [%clk 0:57:26] } 32... c4 { [%clk 0:32:34] } 33. h4 { [%clk 0:52:31] } 33... Kd5 { [%clk 0:27:56] } 34. Be1 { [%clk 0:51:58] } 34... h5 { And with this the pawns will lock on both ends of the board and the game will end in a draw. } { [%clk 0:24:26] } 35. Bd2 { [%clk 0:51:59] } 35... Be7 { [%clk 0:24:20] } 36. Be1 { [%clk 0:52:05] } 36... Bf6 { [%clk 0:23:31] } 37. Kd1 { [%clk 0:43:00] } 37... c3 { [%clk 0:18:02] } 38. b3 { [%clk 0:41:54] } 38... Kc5 { [%clk 0:16:42] } 39. Bf2 { [%clk 0:41:29] } 39... Kb4 { [%clk 0:16:59] } 40. Kc1 { [%clk 0:41:24] } 40... Ka3 { [%clk 0:16:52] } 41. Kb1 { [%clk 0:41:14] } 41... Bg7 { [%clk 0:17:03] } 42. Bg1 { [%clk 0:41:24] } 42... Bf6 { [%clk 0:17:11] } 43. Bf2 { [%clk 0:41:48] } 43... Bg7 { [%clk 0:17:29] } 44. Bg1 { [%clk 0:42:13] } 44... Bf6 { [%clk 0:17:50] } 45. Bf2 { [%clk 0:42:38] } 45... Bg7 { [%clk 0:18:10] } 46. Bg1 { 1/2-1/2 The game is a draw. } { [%clk 0:42:50] } 1/2-1/2