[Event "World Youth Championships 2023"] [Site "Montesilvano"] [Date "2023.11.14"] [Round "2"] [White "Wu, Rochelle"] [Black "Wan, Qian"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2228"] [BlackElo "1945"] [Annotator "Lang,JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D31"] [Opening "Queen's Gambit Declined: Queen's Knight Variation"] [StudyName "2023 World Youth"] [ChapterName "Wu, Rochelle - Wan, Qian"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/eisyxdYL/2bOhBKoz"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 Nf6 6. e3 O-O 7. cxd5 exd5 8. Bd3 b6 9. Ne2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. f3! { It took 11 moves, but play has transposed to a line of the Kmoch Variation (4. f3) of the Nimzo-Indian Defense! Black's best play here would have involved keeping the queenside knight on b8, playing ...Bc8-a6 and trading off White's main attacker. Instead, the b7-bishop is passively placed behind the d-pawn and not even able to guard the f5-square. White is better. } 11... Re8 12. Ng3 Nf8 13. Re1 c5 14. Bb2 Ng6 (14... h5!? { a more practical way to play. } 15. Qd2 h4 16. Nf5 h3 17. Rad1 $14 (17. gxh3?! Bc8 $13)) 15. e4 (15. c4 { is even more aggressive, trying to keep even more grip of the center. }) 15... c4 (15... dxe4! { is the only way to keep any pressure on White's position: } 16. fxe4 h5 { when the e-pawn might prove to be a liability. }) 16. Bc2 Nd7 17. a4 { Classy prophylaxis against ...b6-b5 and play against the backwards c3-pawn that doubles as a developing plan for Bb2-a3 with control on the weak d6- and f8-squares. } 17... a6 18. Nf5 Re6 19. e5 f6 20. f4 fxe5 21. fxe5 { White is positionally crushing. } 21... Ndf8 22. Nd6 Bc6 23. Qf3 Rxd6 24. exd6 Qxd6 { Not even the Exchange sac gives Black any counterplay, as she is stuck with two passive knights and a bad bishop. } 25. Rf1 Qd7 26. Ba3 { Even White's bad bishop jumps in! } 26... Re8 27. h4 { If the g6-knight moves, it's mate, so this is a very logical follow-up. } 27... Ne6 28. h5 Ngf4 29. Rae1 h6 30. Bg6 Rd8 31. Bf5 Re8 32. Qg4 { A lovely final position, with every white piece part of the picture. } 1-0