[Event "2025 KCF All-Girls National Chess Championship, U16"] [Date "04/04/2025"] [Round "2"] [White "Joshini Sudhakar"] [Black "Jasmine Su"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1695"] [BlackElo "2282"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D85"] [Opening "Grünfeld Defense: Exchange Variation"] [StudyName "2025 KCF All-Girls Nationals"] [ChapterName "Sudhakar, Joshini – Jasmine Su"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/LuRpburA/S9ep4dUc"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessLifeOnline"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8. Rc1 O-O 9. Qd2 Qa5 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. Be2 { Annotations by JJ Lang } 11... Rd8 { We have been following Grunfeld theory until here, but this move is a bit inaccurate. } (11... Nd7 { is the main move. }) 12. d5 e6 13. c4! { So far, White is showing an impressive understanding of the position. Her center is solid, and so the trade of queens is justified. } 13... Qxd2+ 14. Nxd2 Bxe2 15. Kxe2 b6 16. f4?! { While White's center was strong, this makes things less flexible. } (16. g4 { was more accurate, as Black's ... f7-f5 break was reasonable otherwise. }) 16... Na6?! (16... f5! { and suddenly White's position is over-extended! }) 17. dxe6! fxe6 18. e5 $16 { More strong positional play from White. Black's bishop is restricted, while White's knight will enjoy the e4-square. It is hard for Black to target the isolated a- or c-pawns, too. } 18... Nb4 19. a3 Nc6 20. Ne4 Nd4+ { This might be the critical moment. } 21. Kf2 (21. Bxd4 { is a bit stronger, removing Black's best minor piece and reaching a great-knight-versus-bad-bishop endgame. } 21... Rxd4 22. Ke3 Rad8 23. Rc3 $16 { Black's rooks lack infiltration squares! }) 21... Rf8 22. Ke1 { White has to break the pin. } 22... Rad8 23. Nd6 { The d6-square is pretty, but now Black gets counterplay. } (23. g3 $16 { would reinforce the f4-square while still keeping the g5-square covered. }) 23... g5! { Black gets counterplay for the first time. The e5-pawn is even more relevant now that the d6-knight hinges on its protection. } 24. g3 gxf4 25. gxf4 Rd7 { Black plans to pile pressure onto the exposed f4-pawn. } 26. Rf1 Bh6 27. Ne4 Nf5 28. Ke2 Kh8 29. Nf6 Rdf7 30. Rcd1?! (30. Rf2 $10 { was better, preparing Rc1-f1 to keep the f4-pawn protected if the knight ever leaves the f6-square (e.g. after ... Bh6-g7). }) 30... Bg7 31. Bc1 (31. Ne4? Nxe3 32. Kxe3 Bxe5 $19 { was the point. }) 31... Bxf6 32. exf6 Nd4+ 33. Kd3 Rxf6 { Black is pawn-up, but the bishop can be dangerous for White. } 34. Bb2? { But, now, the f4-pawn drops and Black controls the center and, with it, the game. } 34... Rxf4 35. Rxf4 Rxf4 36. Ke3 e5 $19 37. Bxd4 Rxd4 38. Rxd4 exd4+ 39. Kd3 Kg7 40. a4 Kf6 41. h4 Ke5 { White resigned. } 0-1