[Event "Chicago Open"] [Date "2022.05.27"] [Round "3"] [White "Matus, Nastassja"] [Black "Seshadri, Sridhar"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1908"] [BlackElo "1555"] [Annotator "Nastassja Matus"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D09"] [Opening "Queen's Gambit Declined: Albin Countergambit, Fianchetto Variation, Bf5 Line"] [StudyName "WFM Nastassja Matus, 2022 Chicago Open"] [ChapterName "Matus, Nastassja - Seshadri, Sridhar"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/LbNZHtXD/P74oKizr"] [Orientation "white"] { After a rough start, I played more aggressively in round 3. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5!? { I was a bit surprised to see my opponent go for the Albin Gambit, as I believe this opening is slightly dubious for black. } 3. dxe5 d4 4. Nf3 Nc6 (4... c5?! { is the other possibility, but black seems to have poor performance here: } 5. e3! (5. g3!? { is interesting, but not as good as 5.e3 } 5... Nc6 6. Bg2 Nge7 7. O-O Ng6 8. e3 Be7 (8... d3? { led to Black's quick demise in the following game: } 9. Nc3 Bg4 10. h3 Be6 11. Nd5 Ngxe5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. f4 Nc6 14. Qxd3 Be7 15. b3 O-O { etc. 1-0 (28) Erigaisi, A (2559)-Ponkratov,P (2631) Lichess.org INT 2020 }) 9. Na3 O-O 10. exd4 cxd4 11. Nc2 d3 12. Ne3 Ngxe5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. b3 $14 { and although the d3 pawn looks scary, it is nothing but a burden for Black }) 5... Nc6 6. exd4 cxd4 7. Bd3 Nge7 (7... Nxe5 8. Qe2 f6 9. Bf4 Bg4 10. Bxe5 Qa5+ 11. Kf1 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Qxe5 13. Qxb7 { etc. 1-0 (31) Wegerle,J (2438)-Kalka,A (2334) Germany 2017 }) 8. O-O Ng6 9. Re1 $16) 5. g3 { [#] } 5... Bf5?! { This move came as a surpise. Black should have followed through with the usual Nge7->Ng6 plan trying to win the pawn back. } (5... Nge7!? 6. Bg2 Ng6 7. O-O Ngxe5 8. Nbd2 Nxf3+ 9. Nxf3 Bc5 10. a3 a5 11. Bg5!? f6 12. Bd2 O-O 13. Ne1 $40 { and White is able to reposition the pieces and begin advancing on the queenside immediately. }) 6. a3 { is proven to be a useful addition regardless of Black's plan, as it not only prevents Bb4+, but also prepares the b4->b5 advance. } 6... h6?! { This looks like a waste of time. Black is still better off going for the usual Nge7->Ng6 plan winning their missing pawn back. After this move, however, White is no longer forced to give the pawn back. } (6... Nge7 7. Bg2 Ng6 8. O-O $16 { and Black would still experience issues completing the usual plan, as the b7 pawn is now under the Bg2's radar. }) 7. b4! { It is not necessary to finish development of the kingside anymore, as black allows the b4-b5 advance, resulting in a big problem for their d4 pawn. } 7... Be4? { [#] An awkward attempt to apply pressure against the Nf3, which fails because of a simple response: } 8. Nbd2! f5 { This looks like a desperate attempt to hold the position together, but it is too late now. } 9. exf6 Nxf6 10. Nxe4 Nxe4 11. Qd3 { Not only is black down material, but they also failed to develop and hide their king. In gambits, the side that willingly sacrifices material needs to be active, prohibiting development of their opponent's pieces. If they fail to do that, they end up in a normal position down material. } 11... Qe7 12. Bg2 Nc3 13. b5 { The rest of the game is straightforward. } 13... Ne5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Bxb7 Rd8 16. Bf4 Qc5 17. Bc6+ Ke7 18. Bxc7 Rc8 19. Ba5! Rxc6 20. Bb4 Qxb4 21. axb4 Re6 22. Rxa7+ Ke8 23. O-O Nxe2+ 24. Kh1 Be7 25. Ra8+ Bd8 26. b6 Rf8 27. b7 Kf7 28. b8=Q Be7 29. Qb7 Rxa8 30. Qxa8 Bxb4 31. Qf5+ Rf6 32. Qh5+ { Black has had enough. } 1-0