[Event "2026 National Middle School (K-8) Champi"] [Site "Round Rock, Texas, United Stat"] [Date "2026.05.16"] [Round "4.1"] [White "Sen, Samant Robert"] [Black "Lin, Bryan Enming"] [Result "0-1"] [WhiteElo "1996"] [WhiteTeam "USA"] [BlackElo "2446"] [BlackTeam "USA"] [Annotator "Foisor,Sabina"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "?"] [Opening "?"] [StudyName "2026 National Middle School Championship"] [ChapterName "Sen, Samant Robert - Lin, Bryan Enming"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/nsU8iwvi/8LL7jSPw"] [FEN "8/p6p/Rn1N1k2/2p1pP2/2P1Pb2/8/1r4K1/5B2 w - - 0 53"] [SetUp "1"] [Orientation "white"] { This was a hotly contested game! In this moment, White has to choose between placing the king on f3 or going back to h1. Naturally it seems that going to f3 is the right place for the king, and it is, but it can also feel scary to "centralize" the unprotected king. On h1, on the other hand, the king seems even more restricted. With little time on the clock, I can understanding choosing h1, but objectively without something concrete, it is an endgame, so White should keep the king active! } 53. Kh1?? (53. Kf3 { seems to give Black some trouble finding progress. White should be able to recoup the a-pawn soon to keep the game balanced. } 53... Rb3+ 54. Kg2 Rb2+ 55. Kf3 Ke7 56. Nb5 $10) 53... Rf2! { Now Black is building the initiative and is on the way to either material gain or advancement of a passed pawn! } 54. Ra1 { The only way to avoid material loss. } 54... a6?? { I was puzzled here as to why Bryan went for this move as opposed to ... a7-a5, considering that losing the pawn on the sixth rank leads to problems with his own knight on b6 being pinned in the future. } (54... a5 { seems to make Black's life easier, as even if the pawn is captured, there is no way for White to have counterplay afterwards. } 55. Rxa5 (55. Nb7 { this may seem troublesome, but after } 55... Nd7 56. Nxa5 Kg5 57. Nc6 Nf6 { Black's activity on the kingside should lead to victory soon enough! }) 55... Rxf1+ 56. Kg2 Rd1 $19) 55. Rxa6 { Now White is back in the game, and Robert played really well up until the very end! } 55... Rxf1+ 56. Kg2 Rb1 57. Nc8 Rb2+ 58. Kf1 Kg5 59. Rxb6 Rc2 60. f6 Be3 61. Ke1 Rf2 62. Re6 Rxf6 63. Rxe5+ Kf4 64. Rf5+ Rxf5 65. exf5 Kxf5 66. Kf1 Ke4 { This was a heartbreaking moment for Robert, after having fought his way back to holding up until this point. White's drawing mechanism should be to take advantage of the wrong-colored corner for the bishop, bringing his king to h1 followed by sacrificing the knight on the c-pawn for a draw. The way in which White does this is important, however, and Robert failed to make the correct move here. } 67. Nd6+?? { Now it is game over! } (67. Kg2! { was necessary to be played first, before Black could play ... Ke4-f3 to shut out White's misplaced king! } 67... Kd4 68. Nb6 h5 69. Na4 Kxc4 70. Nxc5 $10) 67... Kf3! $19 { Black chooses the right square for the king and, even if the knight attempts to push the king away, White doesn't have time to save the game anymore. Black played flawlessly from here on! } 68. Nf5 h5 69. Nh4+ Kg4 70. Ng6 Kg3 71. Ne7 Kf3 72. Nf5 Bf2 73. Nd6 h4 74. Nf7 Be3 75. Ne5+ Kg3 76. Ke2 { 0-1 Black wins. } 0-1