[Event "2023 SPFGI Championship Playoff"] [Site "St Louis"] [Date "2023.06.25"] [Round "1.1"] [White "Lee, Alice"] [Black "Yan, Ruiyang"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "2454"] [BlackElo "2354"] [Annotator "Lang, JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D37"] [Opening "Queen's Gambit Declined: Three Knights Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/hrij2qzZ/32HH6Cfk"] [Orientation "white"] 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 a6 5. c5 b6 6. cxb6 cxb6 7. Bf4 Bd6 8. e3 O-O 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. O-O Nc6 11. Rc1 Rc8 { This position has been reached in a small number of online blitz games, and is quickly becoming one of the main lines in the early ... a7-a6 Queen's Gambit Declined. } 12. Bb1 $146 (12. Qe2 Nb4 13. Bb1 Nc6 14. Bd3 b5 15. a4 b4 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Nb1 Na5 18. Nbd2 Ne4 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Ne5 b3 21. Nb1 Bd5 22. Qd2 Nc4 23. Nxc4 Bxc4 24. Rfe1 Bd3 25. Rc3 Qd7 26. a5 Rxc3 27. Qxc3 Qb7 28. Nd2 Bc2 { gave Black a good game, which he eventually won, in Doshi – Niemann, Paracin, 2021. }) 12... b5 13. Ne5 Ne7 14. Qd3 Ng6 15. Bg3 Ne4 16. Nxe4?! (16. Ne2 Nxg3 17. hxg3 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Qa5 { is equal. }) 16... dxe4 17. Qe2 Rxc1 18. Rxc1 Nxe5 19. dxe5 Bb8 20. Qc2 { Black's bishops are, relatively speaking, better than their counterparts. Additionally, Black is more likely to use the d3-square than White is the d6 counterpart. } 20... h6 21. f4 Ba7 22. Bf2 Bb6 23. Rd1 Bd5 24. Qc3 Qa8 25. Qb4 Qc6 26. Qd2 Rc8 27. g4!? { With practically no improving moves for her pieces, White launches a kingside attack. But with the weak squares in the center, this is unlikely to be successful. } 27... Qc7 28. Kg2 Ba5 29. Qd4 Bb6 30. Qd2 Ba5 31. Qe2 Bc4 32. Qc2 Bd5?! (32... Qb7 { is more testing. Black threatens ... Bc4-d3 with an invasion on the back ranks to follow. }) 33. Qxc7 Rxc7 34. a3 Bb6 35. Kg3 a5 36. f5 (36. Be1 { keeps more tension and flexibility in the position, but after } 36... g5! { Black should keep an edge. } (36... Bxe3 37. Bxa5 Rc8 38. Re1 Bd4 39. Bxe4 Bxe4 40. Rxe4 Bxb2 41. Rb4 Rc3+ 42. Kg2 Bxa3 43. Rxb5 { would be the best case scenario for White, as Black would have allowed her to trade off several pieces and all of her weakest pawns. })) 36... Rc8 37. Kf4? (37. Be1 { Again, tying down Black's bishop to the weak a5-pawn would be the only way to keep hope alive. } 37... a4 38. Kf2 { followed by slowly rerouting the rook to the c2-square would be stubborn. The idea is playing Bb1-c2-d1-e2 would be the way to obtain counterplay on the newly backwards b5-pawn. }) 37... g5+! 38. fxg6 fxg6 39. g5 h5 { Now, the e5-pawn is going to fall. } 40. Kg3 Bc7 41. Kg2 Bxe5 42. Rd2 Rc1 { Not to mention, Black's bishops are even more monstrous now. } 43. Bc2 Bxb2 44. a4 b4 45. Bg3 Bg7 46. Bd1 Rc3 47. Be2 Rxe3 48. Bf2 Rc3 49. Kf1 e3 { A convincing win for Black! The e4-pawn ended up being the hero, meaning we can trace White's problems back to her decision to play Nc3xe4 on move 16. A compelling clinic in conversion from Ruiyang. } 0-1