[Event "U.S. Championship"]
[Site "St Louis"]
[Date "2023.10.05"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Robson, Ray"]
[Black "Sevian, Samuel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2699"]
[WhiteTeam "United States"]
[BlackElo "2698"]
[BlackTeam "United States"]
[Annotator "Davis Zong Jr."]
[Variant "From Position"]
[ECO "?"]
[Opening "?"]
[FEN "3rk3/4b1p1/pR2P3/3p2qp/8/6P1/2Q2BKP/8 b - - 0 34"]
[SetUp "1"]
[Source "https://lichess.org/study/b0nfXV2i/aJQ3AUir"]
[Orientation "white"]
{ After an incredibly sharp French, we have a dynamically balanced position
with both kings highly unsafe. White's e6-pawn looks like a huge asset, but it
is blockaded well by the defensive e7-bishop. }
34... Qg4 (34... Rc8) 35. Qc6+!? { This move itself is not a blunder, but it veers towards dangerous
territory, as White's king is now only guarded by the bishop and two pawns. } (35. Rxa6! { was the safest option, settling for a drawn rook + bishop endgame.
However, Robson likely wanted to play for the win } 35... Qe4+ 36. Qxe4 dxe4) 35... Kf8 36. Rb7?! (36. Qc2! { It still wasn't too late to return, but a
move like this is so hard to play once you've committed already. } 36... Kg8 37. Rxa6) 36... h4! 37. h3 Qe4+ 38. Kg1 hxg3 $17 { All of sudden, White's king is
the exposed one! } 39. Bxg3 Qe3+ 40. Bf2 Qg5+ 41. Kf1 Qf5 42. Kg2?? { A
natural-looking unpinning move is the last move one would expect to be a
blunder, but this one tiny slip decides the game. } (42. h4! { This move
becomes apparant once you see the game response to White's 42nd move. } 42... a5 43. Kg2 { With the g5-square controlled, black has no ...Kf8-g8, so the king is
stuck in the center. } 43... Qg4+ 44. Kf1) 42... Kg8! { Since the bishop is
tactically protected by ...Qf5-g5+, Black's king reaches safety, and his
passed d-pawn will decide the game. } 43. Qxa6 (43. Rxe7 Qg5+ 44. Kh2 Qxe7 $19) 43... Qe4+ 44. Kg1 Rc8 45. Qf1 Qg6+ (45... Bd6! { The e6-pawn is going
nowhere, so it was more accurate to keep the commanding queen position for one
more move. }) 46. Kh1 Qxe6 47. Rb1? (47. Qd3! { would have yielded serious
drawing chances because White's pieces get active. } 47... Bf6 $17) 47... Rc3 $19 { The h3-pawn will fall and Sevian is able to convert the two extra pawns. } 0-1