[Event "U.S. Women's Championship"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.10.10"] [Round "5.4"] [White "Abrahamyan, Tatev"] [Black "Yip, Carissa"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2262"] [WhiteTeam "United States"] [BlackElo "2372"] [BlackTeam "United States"] [Annotator "WGM Katerina Nemcova"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "E73"] [Opening "King's Indian Defense: Semi-Averbakh System"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/b0nfXV2i/58rVIX9X"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4!? Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. Be2 d6 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Na6 8. h4!? Nc5 9. Qc2 h5 10. f3 a5 11. Nh3 (11. O-O-O!? { An interesting move to consider. I like how this move does not allow Black to pursue the ... c7-c6 push unless it is as a pawn sacrifice. } 11... Bd7 (11... c6?! 12. dxc6 Ne6 (12... bxc6?? 13. Bxc5 $18) 13. cxb7 Bxb7 14. Kb1 $16) 12. Nh3 $14 { And the game would still be double-edged. }) 11... c6! { Black is attacking the center to open up the c-file or get the f5-square under control. } 12. Nf2 Bd7 13. g4 (13. Nd3!? { This is the best move according to the engine. The point is that White will benefit from removing the very active knight on c5 for White's somewhat okay knight. } 13... Nxd3+ 14. Bxd3 $16 { The position seems very similar, but without the knights, Black's counterattack on the queenside is very limited. }) 13... cxd5 14. cxd5 a4 15. Bg5?! { This move is a step in the wrong direction. White is mixing up plans and suddenly will be under attack. } (15. Qd2! { White needs to get ready for Black's attack on the queenside. With this move, White also plans on keeping the king either in the center or on the kingside. } 15... Qa5 16. g5 Ne8 17. Rc1 b5 18. Ncd1 $14 { White has an active rook and her king is completely safe. Overall, White has better prospects in this position. }) 15... Qa5 16. Qd2 Rfc8 (16... b5! { More accurate was to immediately push the b-pawn. } 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. gxh5 Kg7 19. hxg6 fxg6 20. h5 Rh8! $19 { And suddenly we see that it is Black who benefits from the open kingside. }) 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. gxh5 a3 19. Rb1? (19. b4! { An extremely difficult move to find but the only one that keeps White in the game. The idea is that, with a tempo, it activates White's rook and allows White to continue attacking on the kingside. } 19... Qxb4 20. Rb1! Qa5 21. hxg6 fxg6 22. h5 Na4 { When Black starts offering trades, White can be relieved that her king won't be in danger anymore. Instead, her active rook will be able to get back the lost pawn by recapturing on b7. } (22... gxh5 23. Rxh5 $40) 23. Nxa4 Qxd2+ 24. Kxd2 Bxa4 25. Bd3 $13 { with still a very complex game. }) 19... axb2! 20. Rxb2 gxh5! { Carissa is showing deep understanding of the position by playing the best moves. } 21. Qh6?? { This tactic does not work, but one needs to see the best and only defense for Black. It is possible that, due to low time, Abrahamyan missed it. } 21... Qxc3+! 22. Kf1 Bg7 23. Rg1 Bg4!! $19 { This is the move. Black is very happy to block the pin on this four-time attacked square because it means that the queen is suddenly up for grabs. } 24. Qg5 (24. fxg4 Bxh6 $19) 24... f6 25. Qg6 Qxb2 26. Nxg4 hxg4 27. Rxg4 Rc7 28. h5 Nd3!! { A very nice final touch. Forced checkmate in eight moves is unstoppable. } 0-1