[Event "ch-USA 2022"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/dfRDZs7P/ejqjuaC1"] [Date "2022.10.05"] [Round "10.4"] [White "Moradiabadi, Elshan"] [Black "Niemann, Hans"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2534"] [BlackElo "2699"] [Annotator "Hansen,Carsten"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "E60"] [Opening "King's Indian Defense: Normal Variation, King's Knight Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/dfRDZs7P/ejqjuaC1"] [Orientation "white"] { [%evp 0,76,16,17,20,28,45,44,44,47,47,26,20,28,30,-20,18,10,7,7,10,10,9,8,13, 15,8,-1,-2,-1,-1,0,9,1,1,-30,-21,-9,-28,-23,-3,-36,4,4,-5,-20,-5,-5,-5,-5,-20, -38,-38,-85,14,-40,-16,-25,0,0,-7,0,0,0,0,0,72,72,62,53,112,90,77,-1,-40,-136, -158,-265,-256] } 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 { Black plays the King's Indian. In the post-game interview, Niemann said "I felt like I needed to go back to my roots of playing just absolutely psychotic chess". } 4. Nc3 O-O 5. Bg5 { The solid Smyslov Variation. } 5... c5 6. d5 d6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Be2 h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. Qc2 Ndf6 12. Nd2 a6 13. a4 Bd7 14. a5?! { This is unnecessary. White should have played } (14. Ra3 { with about equal chances. }) 14... Rb8 15. O-O Nxg3 16. hxg3 Ng4! 17. Qd1 f5! { Black has firmly taken over the initiative. } 18. e4 Ne5 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Nf3 Qe8 21. Nxe5 Bxe5 22. Bh5 Bg6 23. Bxg6 Qxg6 24. Qe2 Rf7?! (24... h5! { followed by ...g5-g4 would have been better for Black. }) 25. Ne4?! (25. Rae1!?) 25... Bd4 26. Ra3 g4! 27. Rd3? (27. b4!? b5! (27... cxb4? 28. Ra4 b3 29. c5 { leads to complications }) 28. axb6 Rxb6 29. b5 axb5 30. cxb5 Rb8 { is better for Black but the game continuation is worse for White. }) 27... Rf5? (27... b5!) 28. Qd2 Rbf8 29. b4! Re5 30. bxc5 dxc5 31. Rxd4! cxd4 32. Nc5 { This may have been the move that Niemann failed to properly account for when allowing White to sacrifice the exchange. White now has the better chances. } 32... Ref5 33. Qxd4 h5 34. Ne6 R8f6 { Sloppy play by Niemann. } (34... R8f7 { followed by ...Qg6-f6 would have been better. }) 35. Nf4? { The first of several mistakes in a row. With } (35. Qb6 { would have secured White a large advantage. }) 35... Qh7 36. Qa7? { This move throws the advantage away and was played after using 12 of his remaining 17 minutes on the clock. } (36. Qd1! { , stopping Black's counterplay with ... h5-h4 and preparing c4-c5, would have kept a clear advantage for White. }) 36... h4! { Black seeks counterplay where he can find it. } 37. Qxb7?? (37. Re1 { would have kept the game more or less balanced, for instance, } 37... Rh6 38. Qb8+ (38. Qxb7?? hxg3 39. fxg3 Rh1+ 40. Kf2 Rxf4+ 41. gxf4 Qh4+ { wins for Black }) 38... Rf8 39. Qe5 hxg3 40. fxg3 Rh1+ 41. Kf2 Rxe1 42. Kxe1 Qb1+ { and the engines declares the game equal but there is still a little play left. }) 37... hxg3 38. fxg3?? { White falls into Black's devilish trap. He could still have stayed in the game with } (38. Qc8+ Kf7 39. fxg3 { , although Black is much better after } 39... Rh6 40. Kf2 Re5! { due to White's very vulnerable king. }) 38... e5! { Boom! The pawn cannot be captured en passant because the queen on b7 is hanging, and after 39.Qxh7+ Kxh7, the en passant option is no longer there and White loses the knight. After sitting shocked at the table for a minute or two, Moradiabadi resigned the game. } 0-1