[Event "U.S. Championship"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.17"] [Round "11.1"] [White "Yip, Carissa"] [Black "Yan, Ruiyang"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2372"] [WhiteTeam "United States"] [BlackElo "2206"] [BlackTeam "United States"] [Annotator "FM Davis Zong Jr"] [Variant "From Position"] [ECO "?"] [Opening "?"] [FEN "1r5r/5ppk/3p3p/4pP2/2P5/1P6/1Kq3PP/3R3R w - - 0 33"] [SetUp "1"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/Q3zMf6GZ/2FaZkjwb"] [Orientation "white"] 33. Kxc2 { We'll start our commentary after the queen trade. Yip is slightly better in this four-rook endgame due to the outside b-pawn and her more active king. } 33... Rb6 34. Rd3 Ra8 35. Kb2 g6 36. Rhd1 Raa6 37. fxg6+ Kxg6 38. Rg3+ Kh7 39. Rf1! { Shifting to the kingside. Yip tries pressuring from all angles of the position. } 39... Rb7 40. Rf6 Rc6! { But Yan finds counterplay. The b7 rook stays fixed, guarding f7 while pressuring and pinning the b3-pawn while the other rook pivots, tickling the queenside pawn island. } 41. Kc3 Rcb6 42. Kc2 Ra6 43. Rh3 Kg7 44. Rfxh6 Ra2+ 45. Kc3 Ra3 46. Kc2 Ra2+ 47. Kb1!? { A brave decision, declining the repetition and going for a win. Had a draw secured the title outright, Yip would have likely taken the repetition. However, a draw may have forced playoffs, since Tokhirjonova could've still won and tied. } (47. Kc3) 47... Rxg2 48. Rxd6 Rf2?! { Avoiding the rook trade is a logical choice, given that one of Black's outs is a perpetual, but it gives White the faster pawn race. } (48... f5! 49. c5 f4 50. c6 Rc7 { Though it certainly looks far from simple, the position is technically dead equal. The passed pawns will be traded off with best play. }) 49. c5! $16 Ra7 50. b4 Raa2 51. Rb3 { It's hard to blame such a natural move, preventing perpetual check, but technically it gives away the win. } (51. Rg3+! { A very deep idea, but the in-between check first nets the win. White wants to dislodge black's f2-rook with the Rd6-f6 move so that it can't support the e-pawn with Rf1 later. } 51... Kh7 52. Rb3 e4 53. Rf6! Rxh2 54. c6 e3 55. Rf1) 51... e4 52. Rd1 e3 53. Re1 (53. c6 e2 { Notice the difference! White has to worry about ... Rf2-f1 now. } 54. Re1 Rd2 55. Kc1) 53... Rad2! { Precise defense by the second player. Black prepares ... e3-e2, and the e3-pawn is taboo either due to back-rank mate or second-rank perpetual. } 54. c6 e2 55. Kc1 Rd6 56. b5?? { This is the true turning point. 2 connected passed pawns are winning in every other line, but black is actually able to win white's rook by force. } 56... Rf1! (56... Rd5?? 57. Kc2 Rxh2 58. b6 $18) 57. Rg3+ Kf6 58. Rf3+ (58. Rg1 Rd1+! $19 { is an uncommon alternating rook row which works for Black! Recapturing with the pawn and promoting clutches the win. }) 58... Rxf3 59. Rxe2 Rc3+ 60. Kb1 Rb3+ { 0-1 Black wins. } 0-1