[Event "Meudri on North American Open: Albert - Meduri"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/fCavf2it/qOew7FvL"] [Date "December 27, 2022"] [White "Colin Albert"] [Black "Aakaash Meduri"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2201"] [BlackElo "2126"] [TimeControl "75 d/10"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D11"] [Opening "Slav Defense: Quiet Variation"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/ChessLifeOnline"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/fCavf2it/qOew7FvL"] [Orientation "black"] { A clean first round game led to victory a lower-rated opponent in round 1. Next up was the last 75 min + 10 sec delay game of the 3-day schedule, and my first master level opponent. } 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. b3 { Recommended by GM Boris Avrukh. } 5... Ne4 { White has played b3 before developing the queenside knight. Why not take away a natural developing square for the White knight while occupying the center? } 6. Bd3 Nd7 (6... Bb4+ 7. Nbd2 Nd7 8. O-O f5!? 9. Bb2 Qf6 10. a3 Bd6 11. b4 O-O { A Shanky specialty. While I didn't go into this move order exactly, I was familiar with the idea. }) 7. O-O f5 { The Semi-Slav transforms into a Stonewall! } 8. Qc2 Qf6 { Delaying development of the dark-squared bishop until White announces his intentions. } (8... Bd6 9. Ba3 { White is happy to exchange off Black's only good bishop. }) 9. Bb2 Bd6 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Ne2?! { I still don't understand this move. } (11. a4!? a5 (11... Rf7 12. Ba3 Bc7 { Stockfish prefers White, although to me Black looks to have the easier game. } 13. cxd5 exd5 14. Nxd5 cxd5 15. Qxc7 Ndc5) 12. Ba3 Bxa3 13. Rxa3 g5 { Despite trading off the dark-squared bishop, Black can still go for a standard Stonewall pawn storm. }) 11... g5 12. g3 Rf7 13. a3 h5 $17 { White needs to somehow survive this avalanche. Meanwhile, Black's king is cozy in spite of throwing all the pawns forward. Typical for the Stonewall. It felt like I was playing with house money. } 14. b4 { White desperately seeks counterplay on the queenside, so this is a natural response. } 14... h4 15. cxd5 exd5 16. b5 { A critical moment. I'm tasked with deciding if I care about White's counterplay or will continue with my kingside attack. } 16... Rh7 17. bxc6 (17. g4! fxg4 18. Bxe4 dxe4 19. Ne5 { White is still worse. But Black's attack has stalled, and a complex fight awaits. }) 17... bxc6 18. Qxc6 Nb6 19. Bxe4 Bb7? { My first real gamble in Vegas. I fall in love with positional aesthetics over objectivity. } (19... fxe4 { The mature decision. } 20. Nxg5 Bd7! 21. Nxh7 Kxh7 22. Qc2 Qf3 $19 { Black is winning. }) 20. Bxd5+ Nxd5 21. Qc4 g4 $16 { What enamored me in my calculations. Despite Black's gorgeous pieces, Stockfish already prefers White. Sometimes it's better to choose the less sexy approach. } 22. Nxh4 { And now I am forced to sack the house. } 22... Rxh4 23. gxh4 Bxh2+ 24. Kxh2 Qxh4+ 25. Kg1 { Black is down a full rook and a pawn. While it looks like the attack may continue, my king is pretty naked. What is the best way forward? } 25... Kf7! { Only move! } (25... Kg7?? { What I wanted to play to clear room for the rook and escape the pin on d5. But White has } 26. Ng3! $18 { when the tempo on f5 matters. }) 26. Rfc1 Rh8 27. Kf1? (27. Ng3 Rh6 28. Qc7+! Nxc7 29. Rxc7+ Ke8 30. Rxb7 Qh2+ $10 { Don't ask me to explain this position. }) 27... Qh1+ 28. Ng1 Rh6! $19 { The pieces speak for themselves. } 29. Qd3 Ba6 30. Rc4 Rc6 (30... f4! { More accurate. } 31. exf4 Rh2 { Note that } 32. Qf5+ { gets White nowhere in light of } 32... Nf6 { Black's naked king has just enough clothes on, while White apparently gets mated in 11. }) 31. Rac1 Rxc4? { Dissolving tension prematurely. It was better to keep the rook alive. } (31... g3! 32. Ke2 (32. fxg3 Ke7!! 33. Kf2 Qh2+ 34. Ke1 Bxc4 35. Rxc4 Qxg1+ 36. Kd2 Qf2+ 37. Kc1 Nxe3! 38. Rxc6 Qe1+ 39. Qd1 Qxd1#) (32. Qxf5+ Rf6 33. Qd7+ Ne7 { The line I needed to see to play 31...g3. White has no more checks. }) 32... Qh5+ 33. Kf1 (33. Ke1 gxf2+ 34. Kxf2 Qh4+ 35. Ke2 Qh2+ 36. Kf3 Bxc4 37. Rxc4 Rg6 38. Qxf5+ Rf6) 33... Nb6 $19) 32. Rxc4 Ke8! { We must not allow Qxf5 with check. } 33. Rc8+ { White decides punting the rook is better than enduring the pin. } 33... Bxc8 34. Qb5+ Bd7? { A big mistake that gives White counterplay. } (34... Kd8 35. Qa5+ Nc7 { There is no answer to ...Bc8-a6+. }) 35. Qb8+ Ke7 36. a4 Nf6 37. Ba3+ Kf7 38. Qf8+ Kg6 39. Be7 Qc6 40. Qxf6+?? { The desire to simplify in time pressure can be the Garden of Eden's forbidden fruit. } (40. d5! { And now it is Black who struggles to hold things together. }) 40... Qxf6 41. Bxf6 Kxf6 42. a5 Ke6 { The Black king is quite fast. } 43. Ne2 Kd5 44. Kg2 Kc4 45. Kg3 Kb5 46. Kf4 Kxa5 47. Ng3 Kb4 48. Nxf5?? { The final mistake. Black's a-pawn is too fast. } (48. e4 { White needed to realize that the time to play for a win is over, and a draw is the best to hope for. }) 48... a5 49. e4 a4 50. Ne3 Kb3! { Kings are good against knights two squares away, kids. } 51. d5 a3 52. e5 a2 53. e6 Bb5 54. d6 a1=Q 55. Nf5 Qf6 56. d7 Bd3 57. d8=Q Qxd8 58. e7 Qd7 { A razor sharp battle which had its share of good fortune bestowed upon me. } 0-1