[Event "2023 U.S. Girls' Junior Chess Championsh"] [Site "Saint Louis, United States"] [Date "2023.07.21"] [Round "6.1"] [White "Yan, Ruiyang"] [Black "Yip, Carissa"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2206"] [BlackElo "2369"] [Annotator "FM Alex King"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C54"] [Opening "Italian Game: Classical Variation, Giuoco Pianissimo, Main Line"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/ZBuAQUT7/IAc1WHlk"] [Orientation "white"] { Annotations by FM Alex King } 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O Nf6 5. d3 { The "Slow (but Venemous!) Italian", as the title of a 2017 book by IM Georgios Souleidis and GM Karsten Mueller puts it. } 5... d6 6. c3 a6 7. Re1 Ba7 8. Bb3 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. Nbd2 Nh5 11. Nf1 Nf4 $16 { Premature; normal is the preparatory 11. ... Qf6. Interestingly, of the eight games in Mega Database 2023 with the text move, four are by female players. Pure coincidence, or somehow significant? } 12. Bxf4 exf4 13. d4 Ne7 14. e5 { White strikes in the center while Black's development is still lagging. } 14... d5 15. Bc2 Be6 16. b4 { Restraining Black's ... c7-c5 break. } 16... Qd7 $18 { After this White's attack builds slowly but venemously; Black had to try for a queenside diversion with 16. ... a6-a5. } 17. Nh4 Rae8 18. Nh2 c6 19. Ng4 { Now the possibility of Ng4-f6+ hangs over Black's head, but trading off this knight only further increases White's grip on the light squares. } 19... Bxg4 20. hxg4 Nc8 21. Qf3 Nb6 22. Qxf4 f6 (22... g5 23. Qf6 gxh4 24. Qxh6 f6 25. exf6 $18 { White's extra three connected pawns are more than worth Black's extra offside minor piece. }) 23. Ng6 fxe5 { Giving up the Exchange, but Black is bound to lose material anyway. } (23... Rf7 24. e6 Rxe6 25. Bf5 Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Qd8 27. Qe3 Nd7 28. Qe8+ Qxe8 29. Rxe8+ Nf8 30. Be6 $18) 24. Nxf8 Rxf8 25. Qxe5 Qxg4 26. Qe6+ Qxe6 27. Rxe6 { White is up a clean Exchange and smoothly converts it to victory. } 27... Nc8 28. Rae1 Bb8 29. Re8 g5 30. g3 Nd6 31. Rxf8+ Kxf8 32. Re6 Nb5 33. Rxh6 Bc7 34. Rh7 Bd6 35. Rxb7 Nxc3 36. a4 Na2 37. b5 axb5 38. a5 Nb4 39. Bg6 Be7 40. Ra7 c5 41. a6 Nc6 42. Rc7 { A flawless win by FM Yan. } 1-0