[Event "U.S. Chess Championship - Women"] [Site "St. Louis"] [Date "2024.10.11"] [Round "01"] [White "Abrahamyan, Tatev"] [Black "Lee, Alice"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2327"] [BlackElo "2395"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B30"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: Nyezhmetdinov-Rossolimo Attack"] [StudyName "2024 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship"] [ChapterName "Abrahamyan, Tatev - Lee, Alice"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/K5XjRsoK/sCpW2Y5Z"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessLifeOnline"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 { [%clk 1:30:57] } 1... c5 { [%clk 1:30:32] } 2. Nf3 { [%clk 1:31:15] } 2... Nc6 { [%clk 1:30:41] } 3. Bb5 { [%clk 1:31:32] } 3... d6 { [%clk 1:30:28] } 4. O-O { [%clk 1:31:03] } 4... Bd7 { [%clk 1:30:30] } 5. Re1 { [%clk 1:31:08] } 5... Nf6 { [%clk 1:30:27] } 6. c3 { [%clk 1:31:05] } 6... a6 { [%clk 1:30:21] } 7. Bf1 { [%clk 1:30:19] } 7... Bg4 { [%clk 1:30:06] } 8. h3 { [%clk 1:29:22] } 8... Bxf3 { [%clk 1:29:55] } 9. Qxf3 { [%clk 1:29:48] } 9... e6 { [%clk 1:29:54] } 10. d3 { [%clk 1:24:35] } 10... Be7 { [%clk 1:29:58] } 11. Be3 { [%clk 1:24:44] } 11... d5 { [%clk 1:25:45] } 12. Bg5 { [%clk 1:07:06] } 12... O-O { [%clk 1:24:37] } 13. exd5 { [%clk 1:04:30] } 13... Nxd5 { [%clk 1:13:35] } 14. Bxe7 { [%clk 1:04:48] } 14... Qxe7 { [%clk 1:13:37] } 15. Nd2 { [%clk 1:03:44] } 15... Rfd8 { [%clk 1:07:40] } 16. Rad1 { [%clk 0:55:20] } 16... b5 { [%clk 0:59:49] } 17. Nb3 { [%clk 0:49:08] } 17... Rac8 { [%clk 0:47:56] } 18. d4 { [%clk 0:46:58] } 18... cxd4 { [%clk 0:44:18] } 19. Nxd4 { [%clk 0:47:06] } 19... Qc7 { [%clk 0:38:13] } 20. Nxc6 { [%clk 0:21:31] } 20... Qxc6 { [%clk 0:38:37] } 21. Rd4 { [%clk 0:21:15] } 21... Ne7 { [%clk 0:36:57] } 22. Qd3 { [%clk 0:16:36] } 22... Rxd4 { [%clk 0:28:34] } 23. Qxd4 { [%clk 0:17:00] } 23... Nf5 { [%clk 0:28:52] } 24. Qd2 { [%clk 0:12:06] } 24... g6 { [%clk 0:27:12] } 25. Rd1 { [%clk 0:11:17] } 25... Kg7 { [%clk 0:26:59] } 26. Qe2 { [%clk 0:08:32] } 26... Qc5 { [%clk 0:21:23] } 27. Rd3 { [%clk 0:08:16] } 27... Ne7 { [%clk 0:17:07] } 28. g3 { [%clk 0:07:02] } 28... Nc6 { [%clk 0:15:31] } 29. Bg2 { [%clk 0:05:50] } 29... Ne5 { [%clk 0:11:44] } 30. Rd4 { [%clk 0:05:27] } 30... Nc4 { [%clk 0:10:56] } 31. Bb7 { [%clk 0:03:23] } 31... Rc7 { [%clk 0:11:15] } 32. Bxa6 { [%clk 0:01:10] } 32... e5 { [%clk 0:09:11] } 33. Rd1 { [%clk 0:01:15] } 33... Ra7 { [%clk 0:08:47] } 34. b3 { [%clk 0:00:41] } 34... Na3 { White has six moves to reach the time control, and is already down to 41 seconds. As such, Lee's choice to keep pieces on the board is the most practical one. } { [%clk 0:05:36] } 35. c4? { [%clk 0:00:34] } (35. b4 { Apparently, this is level after } 35... Qxc3 36. Bxb5 Nxb5 37. Qxb5 Rxa2 $10 { , but forcing White to not only find 35. b4 but evaluate the transformation after the minor pieces come off *and* the safety of her king with Black's rook on the seventh rank is too much to ask of a player in such severe time trouble. }) 35... Rxa6 { [%clk 0:05:35] } 36. Rd5 { The point of White's last move: creating a wave of queenside pawns to compensate for the knight. } { [%clk 0:01:01] } 36... Qc7 { [%clk 0:04:28] } 37. cxb5 { [%clk 0:00:56] } 37... Re6 { [%clk 0:02:56] } 38. Qb2 { Now Lee is the one on the clock. She has three minutes and only three moves, yes, but she must figure out how serious of a threat White's queenside pawns are in order to determine whether she can keep both the a3-knight and the e5-pawn defended. } { [%clk 0:00:42] } 38... Qb7? { [%clk 0:01:36] } (38... Qe7 { This is the only move that defends both the a3- and e5-squares. } 39. b6 { This is likely what Black feared, but } (39. Rxe5?! Rxe5 40. f4 Qc5+ { looks promising. }) 39... Rxb6 40. Rxe5 Qf6! $17 { allows Black to untangle! The knight "hangs" but the queen is tied down to the rook. Meanwhile, White no longer has an advanced passer nor threats of discovered check. It's very counterintuitive to play 38. ... Qe7 to defend both the e5-pawn and the a3-knight only to "hang" both the e5-pawn and a3-knight in the next two moves. }) (38... Nc2 39. b6 Rxb6 40. Rxe5 f6 41. Re4 Rd6 $17) 39. Rxe5 { [%clk 0:00:34] } 39... Rxe5 { [%clk 0:01:46] } 40. Qxe5+ { [%clk 0:01:01] } 40... f6 { [%clk 0:02:05] } 41. Qc5 { [%clk 0:29:02] } 41... Nxb5 { The players have gotten their well-earned extra 30 minutes each, and play the imbalanced position well from here. White's pawns are just fast enough to prevent Black from developing any mating nets. } { [%clk 0:31:59] } 42. a4 { [%clk 0:26:12] } 42... Na7 { [%clk 0:32:05] } 43. b4 { [%clk 0:26:35] } 43... Nc6 { [%clk 0:28:56] } 44. b5 { [%clk 0:24:38] } 44... Ne5 { [%clk 0:23:11] } 45. b6 { [%clk 0:16:16] } 45... Nf3+ { [%clk 0:21:21] } 46. Kf1 { [%clk 0:15:40] } 46... Nd2+ { [%clk 0:16:13] } 47. Kg1 { [%clk 0:11:59] } 47... Ne4 { [%clk 0:15:35] } 48. Qd4 { [%clk 0:08:58] } 48... Ng5 { [%clk 0:15:06] } 49. Qc5 { [%clk 0:07:25] } 49... Ne4 { [%clk 0:11:27] } 50. Qd4 { [%clk 0:07:44] } 50... Qc6 { [%clk 0:09:57] } 51. Qb2 { [%clk 0:03:00] } 51... Nc5 { [%clk 0:07:25] } 52. a5 { [%clk 0:03:07] } 52... Nd3 { [%clk 0:07:14] } 53. Qd2 { [%clk 0:01:56] } 53... Ne5 { [%clk 0:07:27] } 54. Qb2 { [%clk 0:01:18] } 54... Nf3+ { [%clk 0:06:17] } 55. Kf1 { [%clk 0:01:45] } 55... Qc4+ { [%clk 0:05:53] } 56. Kg2 { [%clk 0:01:30] } 56... Ne1+ { [%clk 0:04:18] } 57. Kg1 { [%clk 0:01:48] } 57... Nf3+ { [%clk 0:04:45] } 58. Kg2 { [%clk 0:02:13] } 58... Ne1+ { [%clk 0:05:12] } 59. Kg1 { [%clk 0:02:26] } 59... Qe4 { [%clk 0:04:12] } 60. Kf1 { [%clk 0:01:42] } 60... Qh1+ { [%clk 0:02:12] } 61. Ke2 { [%clk 0:02:11] } 61... Qe4+ { [%clk 0:02:38] } 62. Kf1 { [%clk 0:02:35] } 62... Nd3 { [%clk 0:00:51] } 63. Qc2 { [%clk 0:01:00] } 63... Qe1+ { [%clk 0:00:46] } 64. Kg2 { [%clk 0:01:29] } 64... Qxa5 { [%clk 0:00:36] } 65. Qxd3 { [%clk 0:01:45] } 65... Qxb6 $10 { Finally, we reach a clearly drawn endgame. } { [%clk 0:01:02] } 66. Qd7+ { [%clk 0:02:06] } 66... Kg8 { [%clk 0:01:30] } 67. Qe8+ { [%clk 0:02:27] } 67... Kg7 { [%clk 0:01:56] } 68. Qd7+ { [%clk 0:02:54] } 68... Kg8 { [%clk 0:02:22] } 69. Qe8+ { [%clk 0:03:23] } 69... Kg7 { [%clk 0:02:47] } 70. Qd7+ { Draw by repetition. } { [%clk 0:03:18] } 1/2-1/2