[Event "Women"] [Site "Saint Louis, US"] [Date "2024.03.16"] [Round "52.2"] [White "Paikidze, Nazi"] [Black "Yu, Jennifer"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2400"] [WhiteTeam "USA"] [BlackElo "2292"] [BlackTeam "USA"] [Annotator "jonat"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D30"] [Opening "Queen's Gambit Declined"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/R6LLNwTu/Ci8PmRrv"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Nbd2 O-O 6. Bg2 dxc4 7. Qc2 Nc6 8. Qxc4 Ne4 9. Qd3 Nxd2 10. Bxd2 Qd6 11. O-O Bxd2 12. Qxd2 e5 13. dxe5 Qxd2 14. Nxd2 Nxe5 15. Ne4 Bg4 16. f4 Nc4 17. Rfc1 Ne3 18. Rxc7 Nxg2 19. Kxg2 Rfe8 20. Nc3 b5 21. Re1 b4 22. Nd5 Rad8 23. Nxb4 a5 24. Nc6 Rd2 25. Ne5 Bxe2 26. Kg1 Rxb2 27. Nxf7 Rxa2 28. Nd6 Rd8 29. Nf5 Bf3 30. Rxg7+ Kf8 31. Rxh7 Rg2+ 32. Kf1 { A well-played game has stayed within the objective drawing margin, but has become increasingly difficult for Black to hold. Now, she misses an "only move" to hold on. } 32... Rdd2?? (32... Kg8! 33. Rh6 Rb8! (33... Rb2? 34. Nd6 a4 35. Re7 Bg2+ 36. Ke1 a3 { is too slow: } 37. Rg6+ Kh8 38. f5 a2 39. Nf7+ Kh7 40. Ng5+ Kh8 41. Rh7#) 34. Re7 (34. Rc1 Rd2 { allows Black to trade rooks before White can penetrate the back rank, after which her outside passer poses more of a threat. }) (34. Nd6 Rd2 35. Re7?? { loses now. } 35... Rb1+ 36. Re1 Bg2+ 37. Kg1 Rxe1#) 34... Rb1+ 35. Re1 Rb8 { goes nowhere. }) 33. Rh8+ Kf7 34. Re7+ Kg6 35. Nh4+?? (35. Rh6+ { is the beginning of a mate-in-three! } 35... Kxf5 36. Re5+ Kg4 37. Rh4#) 35... Kf6 36. Nxg2 Kxe7 { Black very much still has hope of holding this position! } 37. Ne3 a4 38. Rh7+ Ke6? (38... Kf8! 39. Ra7 Ra2 { Passive defense is the proper strategy here for Black. In the game, her king ends up in an awkward position, unable to get close enough to help the a-pawn or to get back far enough to blockade White's pawns. An incredibly subtle and concrete point, as nobody is trying to trap their king on the back rank if they're not completely sure. }) 39. Ra7 Ra2 40. g4 a3 41. f5+? (41. g5! Be4 42. Kg1 Ra1+ 43. Kf2 a2 44. Ra4 Bh7 45. h4 $18 { when Black has no way to promote the pawn, while White's entire kingside is on the move. }) 41... Kf6 42. h4 Be2+?? (42... Ke5! { This holds! } 43. Ra4 (43. g5 Kf4 44. f6 Ra1+ 45. Kf2 Ra2+ { draws rather quickly. }) 43... Bc6 { and White's rook cannot continue to guard the f4-square without giving up the crucial a-file. } 44. f6 Bb5+! { an important intermezzo, as } (44... Kxf6?! { makes Black's job harder, although apparently the position after } 45. Ra6 Kg7 46. Rxc6 Rb2 47. Ra6 a2 48. Nd1 Rc2 { is drawn! }) (44... Bxa4?? 45. f7 { is hopeless. }) 45. Kg1 Kxf6 { avoiding the pin on the bishop and headed towards a draw. }) (42... Bh1 43. g5+ Ke5 44. f6 $18) (42... Be4 43. Ra5! $18 { and ... Kf6-e5 is prevented while g4-g5 is prepared. }) 43. Ke1 Bxg4 (43... Ke5 { is too late: } 44. f6! Kxf6 45. Nd5+ Ke5 46. Nc3 $18 { a tactical point, exploiting Black's bishop's misplaced position on e2. }) 44. Ra6+ Ke5 45. Nxg4+ { This position should be winning. } 45... Kxf5 46. Nf2? (46. Ra4 { After this move, it is: } 46... Kg6 (46... Rg2? 47. Ne3+ $18 { prevents Black from creating any counterplay. }) 47. Ra5 Kf7 48. Ra6 { shows the issue. } 48... Rg2 49. Nh6+ Kg7 50. Nf5+ Kf7 51. Rxa3 $18 { White will always be able to grab the a-pawn without losing the knight. Rook-and-h-pawn versus rook is a draw. Rook-and-knight versus rook is a draw. But, with both the knight and the h-pawn, White wins. }) 46... Kf4! 47. h5 Ra1+?? (47... Ke3! { The mate threats force White to chuck the h-pawn and head towards a drawn rook-and-knight versus rook endgame with no pawns. } 48. Nd1+ (48. Ng4+ Kf4 49. Ra4+ Kg5 50. h6 Rg2 { also holds. }) 48... Kf3 49. h6 Rh2 50. Rxa3+ Kf4 51. Ra6 Kg5) 48. Ke2! Ra2+ 49. Kf1 Kg3 50. Rg6+ Kf3 51. Rf6+ Kg3 52. h6 { White has prevented the mate threat while simultaneously defending the extra piece, and now the h-pawn makes a run for it. } 52... Rb2 53. h7 a2 (53... Rb8 54. Nh1+ Kg4 (54... Kh4 55. Rh6+ $18) 55. Rg6+ $18) 54. Ne4+ Kg4 55. Ra6 Rh2 { and Black resigns before White can even take the a-pawn, since the h-pawn will then be immune due to Ne4-f6+. A marathon game that turned out to just be the first course of a marathon match! } 1-0