[Event "ch-USA w 2021"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2021.10.07"] [Round "2"] [White "Yip, Carissa"] [Black "Abrahamyan, T.."] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2402"] [BlackElo "2344"] [Annotator "Hartmann,John"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C02"] [Opening "French Defense: Advance Variation, Milner-Barry Gambit"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/iLDop9iy/7iA6vKdZ"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Qb6 6. Bd3 cxd4 7. O-O Bd7 8. Re1!? { The hot new idea to reinvigorate the Milner-Barry. White continues development and asks Black how she will do the same. Some of the best coverage of this line can be found in IM John Watson's column on the French Defense at chesspublishing.com } 8... Nge7 { Most popular against 8. Re1. } (8... dxc3 9. Nxc3 Nb4 { isn't "necessarily bad, but [is] very dangerous for Black" as in a game between Ehlvest and Rathanvel: } 10. Be3 Bc5 11. Bxc5 Qxc5 12. Rc1 Qb6 (12... Nxd3 13. Qxd3 Qb6 { may even be better for Black }) 13. Bb1 Ne7 14. Ng5 Ng6? 15. Qh5! Nc6 16. Nxd5 exd5 17. e6! { 1-0 (24) Ehlvest,J (2517)-Rathanvel,V (2445) Chess.com INT 2020 }) (8... Nh6 9. h3 { stopping ...Ng4 } 9... Be7 10. Nbd2 dxc3 11. bxc3 Nf5 12. Rb1 Qc7 13. Nb3 { 1-0 (25) Mamedov,R (2654) -Bluebaum,M (2672) chess24.com 2020 }) (8... Rc8 { is the main alternative. }) 9. h4 { Aimed at dissuading the ...Ne7-g6 manuever. } 9... a6 (9... h6 { has been tried here, stopping Nf3-g5 ideas and preventing h5-h6 pawn pushes. }) (9... Nf5?! 10. Bxf5! exf5 11. cxd4 Be6 12. Nc3 { is, as Watson notes, a good version of a typical French position as White has gained a couple of useful moves. }) (9... dxc3 10. Nxc3 a6 { is plausible according to the engine, with ideas of ... Nc6-d4 or even ...d5-d4 followed by ...Ne7-d5. }) 10. h5 h6 11. Qe2 { Already the position is beginning to feel a bit critical. } 11... f5!? (11... dxc3 12. Nxc3 Qb4! { and transferring the queen to the kingside with ...Qb4-g4 is viable, but White appears to have plenty of play for the pawn. }) 12. exf6!? { A very human decision, forcing open the center and looking to take advantage of all the holes around the black king. That king, however, has quite a few defenders to its name, so it's not clear that White can really hope to break through. Meanwhile, as a seasoned French player, Tatev must have really been hoping to make that central pawn wedge work to her advantage. } (12. Na3!? dxc3 13. bxc3 Qc7 (13... g5 14. hxg6 Nxg6) 14. Nc2 { and now Black is beginning to run out of moves, i.e. } 14... g5 (14... Nc8? 15. Bxf5!) 15. hxg6 Nxg6 16. Ncd4 { and White has all the play. }) 12... gxf6 13. cxd4 Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Qxd4 15. Be3 Qe5 { A typical reroute in positions like these. } (15... Qh4! { followed by ...Rh8-g8 gives Black some pressure. }) 16. Nd2 Rg8 17. f4!? Qd6 18. Qf2 Rc8 19. Rad1 { This move contains a touch of poison that Abrahamyan fails to detect. } 19... Bc6? { [#] WFM Elizabeth Spiegel (Chess Life, Nov. 2020) asks three questions to orient tactical thinking: (1) What enemy pieces and pawns are not protected or not well protected? (2) What enemy pieces are on the same line as each other or as my piece? (3) What is your "dream move?" | Here we see that the g8-rook is poorly protected, and the the f6-pawn is both loose and a knight's leap away from the king. These hints give Carissa all she needs to unleash a shot that will be in the tactics books. } 20. Bh7! { Attacking the rook and clearing one piece of the d-file, making White's next move possible. } 20... Rg7 21. Ne4! { Making use of the pin via the d-file and attacking the loose f6-pawn. } 21... Qc7 { [#] There's nothing better. } (21... Qd8? { fails to } 22. Bb6) (21... Qb4 22. Nxf6+ Kf7 23. Bd4!) 22. Bb6?! { Winning some material, but leaving Black with serious chances to complicate and hold on. } (22. Nxf6+! Kf7 23. Bd4! { when White has too many threats for Black to counter. For example, if } (23. f5!! { is even better: } 23... Kxf6 (23... Nxf5 24. Bxf5 exf5 25. Qxf5 $18) (23... exf5 24. Bxf5 Nxf5 25. Qxf5 $18) 24. fxe6+ Kxe6 25. Bb6+!) 23... Rxh7 (23... Nf5 24. Bg6+ Ke7? (24... Rxg6 25. hxg6+ Kxg6 26. Rxe6 $18) 25. Rxe6+) 24. Nxh7 { and now Nh7-g5+ is a huge threat! } 24... Bg7 (24... Nf5 25. g4!) 25. Ng5+ (25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Rxe6) 25... hxg5 26. fxg5+ Nf5 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 28. Rxe6 $18) 22... dxe4 { Just about forced. } (22... Qb8? 23. Nxf6+ Kf7 24. Bd4 (24. f5!?)) 23. Bxc7 Rxh7 { Let's take stock. White has a queen for two minors and a pawn, which is a material advantage according to point count, but leaves Black with hopes of struggling on. } 24. Bd6 Rg7 25. Rc1 Nf5?! { An understandable mistake in a difficult position. } (25... f5!? 26. Red1 Rg4!?) 26. Bxf8 Kxf8 27. Rxe4 Rd8? { [#] Collapsing. } 28. Rxc6! bxc6 29. Rxe6 Ng3 30. Rxf6+ Ke7 31. Qc5+ Kxf6 32. Qe5+ Kf7 33. Qc7+ { 1-0 Black resigns. } 1-0