[Event "National Middle School (K-8) Championship"]
[Site "Round Rock, Tx"]
[Date "2023.04.22"]
[White "Nandini Prakash"]
[Black "Aditeya Das"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "1710"]
[BlackElo "2142"]
[Annotator "FM Sandeep Sethuraman"]
[Variant "Standard"]
[ECO "D00"]
[Opening "Queen's Pawn Game: Accelerated London System"]
[Source "https://lichess.org/study/JIs7Thj7/UZB2DgXj"]
[Orientation "white"]
{ Annotations by FM Sandeep Sethuraman }
1. d4 d5 2. Bf4 Nf6 3. e3 { The London System is one of the most trendy
openings at all levels, and is the bane of most 1. ... d5 players. GM Ding
Liren even won game six of the 2023 FIDE World Championship by playing it. } 3... Bf5 (3... c5 { is the most aggressive choice and what I prefer to play, but the
move played in the game is also perfectly fine. In the next game, FM
Brewington Hardaway plays in this fashion. }) 4. c3 { Sticking to the tested
path. } (4. Bd3!? { taking advantage of the fact that the pawn is still on its
starting square. } 4... Bxd3 5. cxd3 Nc6 6. Nc3 e6 7. Nf3 { with an approximately
equal but rich game. This is just one of many ways White can choose to "spice
up" this opening. }) 4... c6 5. Nd2 Nbd7 6. Ngf3 e6 { The game is symmetrical,
but this happens sometimes in the London, and the extra tempo is meaningful
here if White can use it correctly. } (6... h6 { might have been more prudent in
order to ensure the survival of the light-squared bishop. } 7. Qb3 (7. Nh4 Bh7) 7... Qb6 { is a familiar stand-off for London players. }) 7. Be2 Be7 (7... Nh5 { was an option, and it's a very important inclusion. In fact, the first side to
play ... Nf6-h5 or Nf3-h4 is better, because they will be able to corral the
bishop for a knight. }) 8. Ne5 { Continuing to follow the London School of Chess.
White grips the dark squares in the center, and will continue by either
opening up the center with e3-e4 or gripping the dark squares with an eventual
f2-f4. } 8... O-O? { It seems that Black was not familiar with the dangers of the
seemingly innocent London kingside initiative. This is the dream for all
London players, as the knight on e5 prevents Black from transferring resources
to the kingside. } 9. g4! { White doesn't miss her chance! } 9... Bg6 10. h4 h6?? { This is one of the common cases where pushing pawns in front of a castled king
simply gives more targets for White to attack. } (10... Nxe5 { The knight had to
go, even though Black is often advised not to let White's pawn plant on the
e5-square. But, one reason for this conventional wisdom is that it forces
Black's knight to vacate the f6-square, where it guards h7. Here, White does
not have a bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal, so maybe it is not so dire. } 11. dxe5 Nd7 12. h5 Be4 13. f3 { Now, it looks like the bishop is trapped, but Black has
some tricks up his sleeve. } 13... Bh4+ 14. Kf1 g5! 15. hxg6 (15. Bh2 f5!? 16. exf6 Nxf6 17. Kg2 $14 (17. fxe4?? Nxg4+! 18. Kg1 Bf2+ 19. Kg2 Nxe3+ 20. Kh3 g4+ 21. Bxg4 Qh4#)) 15... Bxg6 16. Bh6 { and while White is definitely for choice,
Black is not completely out of it. }) 11. g5! { Not afraid of her almost
400-point higher-rated opponent, Prakash presses forward. } 11... Ne8 12. gxh6 (12. Nxg6!? { was perhaps even more clinical } 12... fxg6 13. Bd3 { and the pawn can't be
defended. }) 12... Nxe5 13. dxe5 (13. hxg7!? { In great positions there are
often too many good choices, and this is no exception. } 13... Nxg7 14. dxe5 { White
is up clean pawn and threatening h4-h5-h6 with decisive effect. }) 13... Bxh4 14. Bh5!? { Removing the defender, but Black is not obliged to take. } (14. hxg7! { would have ended the game on the spot. } 14... Nxg7 15. Nf3 Be7 16. Bd3! { Removing the defenders! } 16... Nf5 17. Qe2 { And Black's king is far too open to
survive the entry of White's remaining major pieces. }) 14... Bf5 15. Bg4? { Going backwards is rarely the correct answer, and it certainly isn't here. } (15. hxg7 Nxg7 16. Qf3! { was completely winning for White. In positions like
these where one side has an overwhelming attack, simply bringing more pieces
in usually gets the job done. }) 15... g6! { An excellent defensive move,
using the White pawn on h6 as a blockader for the black king. } (15... Bxg4 16. Qxg4 { was out of the question, as it helps White bring more pieces to the
party. }) 16. Bxf5 exf5 17. Nf3 Be7 18. Qd3?? { Suddenly Black is better now! } (18. h7+ Kh8 19. e6!! { was the decisive blow, and another reason why Black is
often advised against allowing White's pawn to move from d4 to e5. } 19... fxe6 (19... Ng7 20. exf7 Rxf7 21. Ne5 Rf6 22. Bg5 { And White wins an exchange and leaves
Black straddled with weak pawns and a weak king. }) 20. Ne5 Rf6 21. Qd4 { And White threatens both Ne5-f7+ and Ne5xg6+. } 21... Ng7 22. Bg5 { and Black's
position is crumbling. }) 18... Nc7 (18... Kh7! { was wise, not allowing any
further advances. } 19. O-O-O Nc7 { Once the knight reaches e6, the kingside
will be fully blockaded and Black's initiative on the queenside will commence. }) 19. O-O-O (19. h7+ { was again necessary. }) 19... Ne6 20. h7+ { Finally, this
move puts White back in the driver's seat. } 20... Kh8 21. Bh6! { Precise. This move
created a huge opportunity later in the game. } 21... Re8 22. Rdg1? { This sets up a
trap, but allows Black back in the game. } (22. Nd4 { Removing Black's best
piece, the e6-knight blockading the e5-pawn. } 22... Bf8 23. Bxf8 Rxf8 24. Nxe6 fxe6 25. Rdg1 { and White is completely winning yet again: the e5-pawn is still
frozen, but at the cost of a new weakness on the half-open g-file that proves
fatal. }) 22... a5 (22... Qc7 { prevents Nf3-d4 for good. }) 23. Nd4! { Threatening to trade Black's knight while finally putting everything into
place for a devious trap. } 23... Nc5?? { Black falls straight into it! } 24. Qc2 { White is still completely winning due to the removal of the blockade on the
e5-pawn. } (24. Qxf5!! { This would have been a beautiful way to end the game
in style, as f7 is indefensible, and taking the queen leads to a swift
checkmate. } 24... gxf5 25. Bg7#) 24... Bf8 25. Nxf5!? (25. Bg5 Be7 26. Bf4 { was
also winning and perhaps a bit simpler. }) 25... Rxe5! { Surprisingly
resilient, Das knows how to pose the most problems and make the best of his
lackluster position. } (25... gxf5 { would have led to forced mate after } 26. Rg8+ Kxh7 27. Qxf5+ Kxg8 28. Qg4+ Kh7 29. Bxf8+ Qh4 30. Rxh4#) 26. Nh4?? { Allowing equality. } (26. Bxf8 Qxf8 (26... Rxf5 27. Bxc5) 27. Nh4 { and Qc2xg6!!
is a nasty threat. }) 26... g5?? { This can never work. Now, White's pieces
have a relatively effortless time encircling Black's monarch. } (26... Bxh6! { Calling White's bluff. Black can part with the queen here, but still be in the
game. } 27. Nxg6+ (27. Rxg6 Bg7 28. Rxg7 Kxg7 29. h8=Q+ Qxh8 30. Nf5+ Kg6 (30... Rxf5?? 31. Rxh8 Rxh8 32. Qxf5) 31. Rxh8 Rxh8 { And Black holds despite the
discovered check. A remarkable resource. }) 27... fxg6 28. Qxg6 Re6! { was
most likely what was missed, but Black is winning here. }) 27. Nf3 Bxh6 28. Nxe5 Qe7 29. Qf5 Kg7 30. Ng4 Ne4 31. Nxh6 f6 32. Ng8 { 1-0 White wins. Black wisely
resigned here } 1-0