[Event "U.S. Championship"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.12"] [Round "7.1"] [White "Robson, Ray"] [Black "Caruana, Fabiano"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2699"] [WhiteTeam "United States"] [BlackElo "2786"] [BlackTeam "United States"] [Annotator "WGM Katerina Nemcova"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "B51"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/b0nfXV2i/1jRzRKmx"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 c5!? { Lately, Caruana has not been playing the Sicilian in classical chess very often and this decision must have surprised Robson. } 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. a4 a6 5. Be2 Ngf6 6. Nc3 g6 7. a5 Bg7 8. O-O O-O 9. d3 b5 10. axb6 Nxb6 11. e5!? { Robson is immediately pushing in the center trying to damage Black's pawn structure. } (11. Qd2 { This move seems to be the most popular with a nice idea of transferring the queen. Additionally, White would enjoy trading the dark-squared bishops on the kingside. } 11... a5 12. Qg5 Nfd7 (12... Ne8 13. Qh4 Nc7 14. Bh6 e5 15. Qxd8 Rxd8 16. Bxg7 Kxg7 { with balanced play. See more in Vazquez – Mishra, Charlotte, 2022. }) 13. Qh4 Nb8 14. Bh6 Nc6 { or White's win in Nepomniachtchi – Pichot, Chess24.com, 2021. }) 11... Nfd5!? (11... dxe5 12. Nxe5 Bb7 13. Bf3 { with a slightly more comfortable position for Black. For example: } 13... Qc7?! 14. Bf4 $14 { and Black is in trouble. }) 12. Nxd5 Nxd5 13. exd6 exd6 14. d4 Bb7 15. c3 (15. c4?! { Robson has previously played this position, but choosing a less accurate continuation. } 15... Nb4! 16. d5 Re8 17. Bg5 Qc7 18. Qd2 h6 19. Be3 Bc8 20. Bd1 Kh7 21. Ba4 Re4 22. Rfc1 Bf5 $17 { Black clearly has initiative here with all pieces having active play and targets. Black won in Robson – Durabayli, Chess.com, 2023. }) 15... Qc7 16. Re1 Rfe8 17. Bf1 Rxe1 18. Qxe1 a5 19. Qd1 Bc6 20. Bc4 Qb7 21. Qb3 Qxb3 22. Bxb3 { The position is balanced here. While Black may have trouble with the a5-pawn or the d6-pawn, White also needs to be careful about the b2-pawn and the whole a1-h8 diagonal. } 22... a4!? { Black is gaining space, forcing the bishop to go away from a good diagonal, and potentially contemplating the ...a4-a3 break. } 23. Bc2 c4 (23... cxd4!? 24. cxd4 (24. Nxd4 Bxd4 25. cxd4 Re8 $15 { Threatening checkmate on the first rank and a potential pin. } 26. Kf1?? Bb5+ 27. Kg1 Re1#) 24... Nb4 25. Bd1? Nd3! { And White's position will soon be collapsing. After Black captures the dark-squared bishop on c1, his pair of bishops will show its power in the endgame. } 26. Be2 Nxc1 27. Rxc1 Be8! { Black does not want to allow trade of the bishops. } 28. Rc2 Rb8 29. Kf1 Kf8 $17 { And while I think Black is much better in this endgame, computer engine states that Black is winning. The pair of bishops will be simply too strong when pushing pawns on the kingside and support the attack on the queenside. }) 24. Kf1 Bf8 25. Nd2 Nb6 26. Ne4 Nd7 27. Bf4 d5 28. Nd2 f6 29. g4 Kf7 30. Ke2 Nb6 31. Nf1 a3 32. bxa3 Rxa3 33. Rxa3 Bxa3 { After these trades, the position is balanced. } 34. Ne3 Ke6 35. Bc7 Nc8 36. Bg3 Nb6 37. Bc7 Nc8 38. Bg3 Na7 { Caruana is not repeating, and instead trying to squeeze something out of this position. } 39. Kd2 Nc8 40. f4 Kf7 { It is Robson who is now taking the initiative and using his active pieces on the kingside. } 41. f5!? Bf8 42. h4 Nd6 43. fxg6+! hxg6 44. h5! { Creating a passed pawn is an excellent strategy when trying to win. } 44... Ne4+! { Caruana is finding the best defence by forcing trades and simplification of the position. } (44... gxh5? 45. gxh5 Ne4+ { Now it is too late to simplify. } 46. Bxe4 dxe4 47. Bf4 $18 { White is winning here. White's pieces are in perfect spots: blocking the advancement of Black's pawns and being active. Additionally the h5-pawn will cause a lot of trouble for Black by distracting his pieces from defending the weak c4 pawn. }) 45. Bxe4 dxe4 46. hxg6+ (46. Bf4!? { Robson could have tried keeping the pawn tension and hoping Caruana would trade the pawns himself. As Cristian Chirila once said "Hope is a chess strategy." } 46... Bd7! { It is much better for Black to target the g4-pawn so the white knight cannot capture the c4-pawn freely. } 47. d5 Kg7) 46... Kxg6 47. Bf4 Bb5 48. Nf5 Bd7 49. Bd6 Bh6+ (49... Bxd6?! 50. Nxd6 Bxg4 51. Nxe4 { Still a draw according to the engine, but it is Robson who is for choice here. }) 50. Nxh6 Kxh6 { And suddenly neither player can make improvements in their position. } 51. Ke3 Bc6 52. Kf4 Kg6 53. Bc7 Kf7 54. Bd8 Ke6 55. Ke3 Kf7 56. Kf4 Ke6 57. Ke3 Kf7 58. Kf4 { 1/2-1/2 The game is a draw. } 1/2-1/2