[Event "Canadian Transnational 2023"] [Site "Montreal"] [Date "2023.06.08"] [Round "1"] [White "Lazaro Bruzon Batista"] [Black "Alice Lee"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2617"] [BlackElo "2690"] [Annotator "Lang, JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D10"] [Opening "Slav Defense: Exchange Variation"] [StudyName "IM-Elect Alice Lee"] [ChapterName "Bruzon Batista, Lazaro - Alice Lee"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/ZuX6CTyj/PA2QLjMO"] [Orientation "white"] 1. c4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Bf4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. e3 a6 7. Bd3 Bg4 8. Nge2 e6 9. O-O Bd6 10. f3 Bh5 11. Na4 O-O 12. Nc5 Bxf4 $146 (12... Rb8!? { is an interesting idea, which has scored well in Titled Tuesdays and worked out well for a young Duda in 2014 over the board. } 13. Rc1 Nb4 (13... e5 { resulted in an upset in the blitz game Grandelius – Lazavik, Chess.com, 2021: } 14. dxe5 Nxe5 15. Nd4 Bg6 16. Bxg6 hxg6 17. Bg5 Qe7 18. Nd3 Nxd3 19. Qxd3 Qe5 20. Bf4 Qe7 21. Bxd6 Qxd6 22. Rc3 Rfe8 23. Rd1 Re7 { and Black won on move 92. }) 14. Bb1 a5 15. a3 Na6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Qd2 Nxc5 18. Rxc5 b6 { and a draw was agreed on move 32 in Bruzon Batista – Duda, Tromsoe, 2014. }) (12... Bxc5 { is the main move, although White scores well. } 13. dxc5 e5 14. Bg5 Qe7 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Ng3 Qh6 17. Nf5 Qf6 18. Qb3 Bg6 19. Nd6 { with a good position that White went on to win on move 39 in Aronian – Potkin, Dubai 2014. }) 13. Nxf4 Qe7 14. Rc1 Bg6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. f4 Rfc8 17. a3 Rc7 18. Rf2 Rac8 19. Rfc2 Nb8 20. h3 Ne8 21. g3 Nd6 22. h4 Nd7 23. b4 Nf5!? (23... Nf6 { is the computer's suggestion. Stockfish does not fear } 24. g4 (24. Qe2 b6 25. Nxa6 Rxc2 26. Rxc2 Qe8 27. b5 Nfe4 $15 { and the computer insists that Black has more than enough compensation for the pawn, and has the better game. But this is a very difficult thing to convince one's self of during the game. }) 24... Nfe4 25. g5 Nf5 { and instead argues that the knight is so well-placed on f5 that Black should wait until it cannot be traded off before placing it there. }) 24. Nxd7 (24. Nxb7 { does not win a pawn, and Black is equal after the following forcing variation: } 24... Nxe3 25. Rxc7 Rxc7 26. Qe1 Rxb7 27. Qxe3 a5 28. b5 Qxa3 29. Rc8+ Nf8 { . }) 24... Qxd7 25. Kf2 Rxc2+ 26. Rxc2 Nd6 27. Qc1 Rxc2+ 28. Qxc2 Qc8 (28... b5 { could be Black's way of arguing that the knight might even outplay the bishop in an ensuing struggle, especially since the knight-queen tandem is far more complementary than a queen-bishop duo. But there is nothing concrete here. }) 29. Qc5 Qd7 30. a4 Ne4+ { Lee chooses the most forcing way to secure the draw, relying on good understanding of pawn endgames and equally good calculation. } 31. Bxe4 dxe4 32. b5 axb5 33. axb5 Qd5 34. Qxd5 exd5 35. g4 f6 36. f5 g5 37. hxg5 fxg5 38. Ke2 b6 { 1/2-1/2 The game is a draw. } 1/2-1/2