[Event "U.S. Junior Chess Championship 2022"] [Site "Chess.com"] [Date "2022.07.08"] [Round "2"] [White "Brodsky, David"] [Black "Yip, Carissa"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2496"] [BlackElo "2416"] [TimeControl "5400+30"] [Annotator "Shlyakhtenko,Robert"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C55"] [Opening "Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Modern Bishop's Opening"] [StudyName "2022 U.S. Senior and Juniors"] [ChapterName "Brodsky, David - Yip, Carissa"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/cfnNS6tI/ggvQNnEc"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6 { A popular variation nowadays. The basic idea is to play ...g7-g5 and hope that Black's center will remain sufficiently solid. } 5. O-O d6 6. a4 g6 7. Nc3 Bg7 8. h3 O-O 9. Be3 Nh5?! { Carissa's first real think of this game. This move seems overambitious to me, due to white's strong presence in the center. } 10. Qd2?! { The queen stands awkwardly here, taking away a retreat square from White's bishop. } (10. a5 { seems more natural. There is a specific point to keeping the queen on d1: } 10... a6 { (structurally soundest) } (10... Kh7 11. a6 b6 12. d4 { is better for white. }) 11. Nd5 Kh7 12. c3 { and black cannot play } 12... f5? { due to } 13. exf5 gxf5 14. Nxe5!) 10... Kh7 11. g4 f5? { Creative, but objectively not good. } (11... Nf4 { is very thematic and works nicely here. } 12. Bxf4 exf4 13. Qxf4 f5 14. exf5 gxf5 15. g5 Ne5 16. Kh1 c6! { , with the idea of ...Ne5xf3 and ...d6-d5. Black has enough play. } (16... Nxf3? 17. Qxf3 hxg5 { is suicidal: } 18. Qh5+ Bh6 19. Rae1 { and Black is lost already. })) (11... Nd4!? 12. Bxd4 exd4 13. Ne2 Nf6 14. Nexd4 d5 { , with counterplay, is also interesting. }) 12. gxh5 f4 13. hxg6+ Kxg6 14. Kh2 Kh7 { The critical moment. White would like to move the queen in order to force ...fxe3, but to which square? } 15. Qe2? { This allows black to a win a tempo later on. } (15. Qd1! { was very strong. After } 15... Qd7 16. Ng1 { black does not have ...f4-f3, as in the game. White is close to winning. }) 15... Qd7 16. Ng1 f3! { The key move. Black continues playing a knight down, but it's not hard to appreciate her compensation. } 17. Qd1 Nd4 { Black has a very strong attack for the piece and White willl need to give back the extra material in order to save himself. } 18. Kh1 { The king is better placed here in many lines. Now white is threatening to take on d4 and retreat the knight to b1. } (18. Bxd4 exd4 19. Nb1 (19. Nce2 fxe2 20. Qxe2 Rf4 { is simply bad, as White will never be able to dislodge the blockade on the dark squares. }) 19... Be5+ 20. Kh1 Qe8 21. Nd2 Bxh3! 22. Nxh3 Qd7! (22... Qh5?! 23. Be6) 23. Ng1 Qg4 { is decisive. }) 18... Qe8! 19. Bxd4 Qh5? { Letting white off the hook. } (19... exd4! { would change the move-order to Black's advantage. After } 20. Nce2? (20. Nxf3 dxc3 21. bxc3 Bxh3 22. Rg1 { allows White to play on, but the accurate } 22... Rf4! { keeps the first player in difficulties. }) 20... Bxh3! { is immediately decisive. }) 20. Kh2 exd4 { Yip thought on this move for almost all of her remaining time, leaving her with just six minutes to reach move 40. } (20... Bxh3 { must have been the other move she considered. But after } 21. Nxh3 exd4 22. Rg1! Be5+ 23. Rg3 { White holds on. }) 21. Nce2 fxe2 (21... Bxh3 { now fails to } 22. Ng3) 22. Qxe2 Be5+ 23. f4! { Brodsky manages to break the blockade. In view of his opponent's time pressure, he probably looked to the future with optimism. However, Yip plays the rest of the game nearly perfectly, despite having no time whatsoever. } 23... Bxf4+ (23... Rxf4!? 24. Rxf4 (24. Qxh5? Rf2+ 25. Kh1 Rh2#) 24... Bxf4+ 25. Kh1 Qxe2 26. Nxe2 Be5 { Might have been the safest choice given the time situation. But this would be akin to admitting that Black had left the advantage slip. }) 24. Kh1 Qh4 25. Qf2 Qh5 (25... Qg5! { was stronger. }) 26. Qf3 { Missing a key subtlety. } (26. Qg2! { would be perfectly timed with Black's queen on h5. The point is that Black cannot double rooks on the f-file the same way in the game: } 26... Bd7 27. Rf3 Rf6 28. Raf1 Raf8? 29. Rxf4! Rxf4 30. Rxf4 Rxf4 31. Qg8#) 26... Qh4 27. Qg2 Bd7 28. Rf3 Rf6 29. Raf1 Raf8 30. Ne2 Rg6 { Essentially forcing a draw. } 31. Nxf4 Rxg2 32. Nxg2 Rxf3 33. Rxf3 Qh5 34. Rf7+ Kh8 35. Nf4 Qd1+ 36. Kh2 { In view of the threat of Ng6+, black must deliver perpetual check. } 36... Qd2+ 37. Kg3 Qe1+ 38. Kh2 Qd2+ 39. Kg3 Qe1+ 40. Kh2 Qd2+ { 1/2-1/2 The game is a draw. } 1/2-1/2