[Event "125th US Open 2025"] [Site "Middleton, Wisconsin"] [Date "2025.07.31"] [Round "6"] [White "Antipov, Mikhail Al."] [Black "Akobian, Varuzhan"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2593"] [BlackElo "2552"] [Annotator "Lang, JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C15"] [Opening "French Defense: Winawer Variation, Delayed Exchange Variation"] [StudyName "125th US Open Rds 1-4 and Invitationals"] [ChapterName "Antipov, Mikhail Al. - Akobian, Varuzhan"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/foytapOs/K44H3ksP"] [Orientation "white"] { Annotations by JJ Lang } 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 { The sharp Winawer Variation of the French Defense shows that Black is looking for a fight! } 4. exd5 { White transposes into the Exchange Variation rather than push e4-e5 and enter the maze of complications. } 4... exd5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. a3 { This is still a well-known position, having been played by GMs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Laurent Fressinet, as well as GM Pentala Harikrishna, the author of the popular "French Toast" course for White on Chessable. } 6... Ba5 (6... Bxc3+ { is the more popular response, accepting the invitation to create structural weaknesses in exchange for a material imbalance. }) 7. Be3 Nge7 { A strong move that maintains more flexibility than the more popular } (7... Nf6 { , a recent favorite of GM Maxime Lagarde. }) 8. Qh5 g6 { Looking at the timestamps, these appear to have been the first moves out of book for each player. The databases show that this has only been played once since 1993, compared with nine times for 8. ... Be6, but the engine prefers the game move. One reason why is probably because it prepares ... Bc8-f5 to trade off the weaker of Black's two bishops. } 9. Qh6 $146 { Reaching a new position. The only move tried here previously was } (9. Qf3 { in Rabiega - Uhlmann, Dresden 1993, https://lichess. org/iIBgxhrn }) 9... Bf5! { In the Winawer, Black commonly invites White's queen to capture the g7- and h7-pawns, while Black's lead in development provides compensation for the pawns. By inviting Qh6-g7 here, Akobian has succeeded in bringing the spirit of his intended Winawer to this Exchange French, and it only cost him one pawn! } 10. Qg7 (10. Bxf5 Nxf5 { covers the g7-square, so it's now or never for this move. }) 10... Rg8 11. Qxh7 Bxd3 12. cxd3 $15 { Black has only had to give up one pawn, rather than two, and has traded off a relatively immobile bishop for White's only active minor piece, creating a central structural weakness to boot. } 12... Qd7 13. b4 Bb6 14. Nf3 Qf5 { Before castling, Black asks a deceptively difficult question: How should White defend the d3-pawn? } 15. Kd2!? { Bold! But how bad was } (15. O-O-O { for White? After } 15... O-O-O { White's king does not seem too breezy on the queenside, and after regrouping with } 16. Qh4 { the position is arguably equal. But Antipov might have been discouraged by the aggressive } 16... g5! { Black's point is that the attackers of the g5-pawn are also the defenders of the d4-pawn. } 17. Bxg5 { is forced, but the position after } (17. Nxg5? Bxd4 18. Bxd4 Rxg5 $17) 17... f6 18. Bxf6 Rxg2 $13 { is certainly murky. }) 15... O-O-O 16. Qh3 { With the king in the center, White does not want to tempt fate with } (16. Qh4?! { because after } 16... g5! { the pawn is now untouchable due to possible ... Qf5xf2+ ideas. }) (16. Qh6!? { , however, was an interesting alternative for keeping the queens on. Attempts to restrict White's queen with } 16... g5 { do not actually trap it, so White has time for } 17. h3 { and a trade on the more favorable g4-square if needed. }) 16... Qxh3 17. gxh3 Nf5 $17 { With two sets of doubled, isolated white pawns, Black's knights should be able to feast! } 18. Ne2 Rde8 19. Raf1 Rh8 { There's no good answer to this simple attacking move. } 20. b5 { Some nice calculation allows Black to respond to this threat without having to immediately retreat. } (20. Rfg1 { could be a more ambitious try, relying on } 20... Rxh3 21. Ng5 { to regain material, but } 21... Rhh8 22. Nxf7 Rhf8 23. Ne5 { still loses a pawn, and 23. Ng5 is no better — Black can play } 23... Ncxd4 { either way. }) 20... Ba5+ 21. Kc2 Nxe3+ (21... Nd8 { was by no means inferior, but Black had a clear vision here. }) 22. fxe3 Rxe3 { Using the tempo on the loose e2-knight to avoid having to defend passively. } 23. Nf4 Ne7 (23... Rxf3 { was just as good — White cannot recapture on f3 due to ... Nc6-e5+, while } 24. bxc6 Rxf1 25. cxb7+ Kxb7 26. Rxf1 Kc6 { gives Black the better game. But without even an extra pawn to show for his troubles yet, it makes sense that Akobian did not want to allow so many trades. }) 24. Ne5?! (24. Rhg1 { was more prudent, trying to activate some pieces. Black can revive the ... Re3xf3 ideas with } 24... Nf5 { but after White steps out of them with } 25. Kb1 Bb6 26. Ne5 { , the threat of capturing the f-pawn is more potent when there is already a rook on the g-file. }) 24... Nf5 25. Kb1 Nxd4 26. Nxf7 { White has traded a d-pawn for an f-pawn, but the problem is how active Black's pieces become. } 26... Rhe8 { Simple and potent. } 27. a4 a6 (27... Nf3 { was sharper, using the threat of ... Nf3-d2+ to support the ... g6-g5 thrust. After, for example, } 28. Kc1 g5 29. Nxd5 Rxd3 $19 { , White's king is close to being trapped in a mating net. }) 28. b6 { Understanding his king's precarity, Antipov aims for dynamic complications. } 28... Bxb6!? { Black obliges, removing some pressure on White's king. Apparently, this could be ignored — after } (28... Kb8 29. Nxd5 Rxd3 { , White has nothing. But Black's position is still strong after the text move, so it seems Akobian is eliminating the need to do a lot of calculating. }) 29. Nxd5 R3e6 { Necessary, as Black cannot recapture on b6 with the c-pawn due to threats of Nf7-d6+ with a fork. } 30. Nf6 R8e7 31. Ng5 Re5 { White's knights have been repelled; Black's rooks remain superior to White's, and Black's minor pieces are both more centralized. } 32. Ng8 Re8 33. Nf6 R8e7 34. Ng8 Re8 35. Nf6 Rf8! { Declining the draw offer. } 36. Nge4 { At least White's knights are a bit more central now. } 36... Nf5 { On the downside, they are stuck defending each other. White actually has nothing to do here, and it's not surprising that the game ends so quickly. } 37. Rf4 Rd8 38. Rg4 Ne7 39. Rd1 Bd4 40. Rc1 Re6 { Black reaches the time control, and White has seen enough. } 0-1