[Event "All Girls Nationals 2024 U14"] [Site "McCormick Place Chicago"] [Date "4.??.??"] [Round "4.141"] [White "Prakash, Nandini"] [Black "Namala, Dhanvi"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "1921"] [BlackElo "1696"] [Annotator "Lang, JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C01"] [Opening "French Defense: Exchange Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/nuHDZ5nX/WoH4s1fQ"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3 Bd6 6. Bd3 Nge7 7. Qc2 Be6 8. Bg5 f6 9. Bh4 Qd7 10. Nbd2 Bf5 $10 { White has not gotten anything out of the opening, and Black arguably has a small advantage due to the flexibility on the kingside. } 11. O-O-O O-O-O 12. Nb3 Rhe8 13. Nc5?! { While this "wins" the pair of bishops, it's not like White's light-squared bishop is staying on the board for long. Additionally, her dark-squared bishop is not obviously better than Black's knights (and also might be chased off the board, as well). } 13... Bxc5 14. dxc5 Bxd3 15. Qxd3 Nf5 16. Bg3 Nxg3?! { The first of two ill-advised unforced trades from Black. Often, in games between players rated two-to-three hundred points apart, the lower-rated player will fail to appreciate the long-term ramifications of decisions like this. } (16... d4!? { is promising. The point is that } 17. Qc4 (17. cxd4 Nfxd4 18. Nxd4 Nxd4 19. Kb1 Qf5 { would give Black better endgame prospects. }) 17... g5 18. Nxd4 Nfxd4 19. cxd4 Nxd4 20. a3 Re4 $15 { shows why it was okay to open the center despite White possessing the only bishop: Black's rooks both activate! }) 17. hxg3 h6 { The g6-square is permanently weakened, giving White attacking chances in any resulting endgame. Additionally, the h-file gives White's rook tremendous reach all the way from h4 to a4. } 18. Nd4 Ne5 (18... Nxd4 19. Qxd4 (19. cxd4?! { The problem with White's position is even if she undoubles her pawns, the d-pawn is still vulnerable. } 19... Re4 20. f3 Re6 $15 { Further weakens White's kingside. }) 19... Re2 20. Rhe1 Rde8 21. Rxe2 Rxe2 22. Rd2 Re1+ 23. Rd1 Rxd1+ 24. Qxd1 c6 $13 { is drawish but maybe White's weak c-pawn and damaged kingside pawns together could give Black a minute edge. }) 19. Qc2 (19. Qf5! { would help remove Black's only piece who can attack the c5-pawn (or the king after b2-b4 is provoked), while also helping the knight reach a square that attacks the weak g7-pawn (potentially creating two weak pawns if ... g7-g6 is provoked). }) 19... Kb8 20. Nf5 Qf7 21. Rh4 h5 22. Qa4 g6 23. Ne3 Nc6 24. Qa3 f5 25. Ra4 Re4 26. Nc2 Rxa4 27. Qxa4 Qe7 28. b4 Qe4 29. f3 Qc4 30. Qb3 Qxb3?! (30... Qe2! { Black has provoked b2-b4, thus weakening White's king slightly. Keeping queens on, then, is paramount both for taking advantage of this as well as attacking weaknesses on the kingside. Even at the cost of the d-pawn! } 31. Rxd5 Rc8 32. Rd2 Qf1+ 33. Rd1 (33. Kb2? Ne5 { is the concrete blow that Black most likely missed. Without this move, White is just pawn-up and the c8-rook is passive. But this move brilliantly exploits the weaknesses on the light squares, and } 34. Ne3 { creates a cluster of loose pieces that can be exploited with } 34... Qe1! $19 { As a side note, the rook is well-placed on c8 here because Qb3-d1 does not threaten Rd2-d8+ with a back rank mate. }) 33... Qxg2 $10) 31. axb3 { Humorously, White gains an advantage for the first time in the game precisely when she obtains her third (!!) set up doubled pawns. This structural nightmare is nevertheless making it difficult for Black's pieces to find any activity, whereas Black's d-pawn and g-pawn both could be problems. } 31... Ne7? (31... a6 { was necessary. The knight does not want to give up control of the e7-square. } 32. Re1 Kc8 33. Re6 d4! { is an instructive idea. Activity over everything. } (33... Rg8 $14 { should hold, but only barely. The point is that Black is just in time to centralize her king and knight. } 34. Ne3 Kd7 35. Rf6 Ne7) 34. cxd4 Nxd4 35. Nxd4 Rxd4 36. Rxg6 Rxb4 $10) 32. Re1 { Simple, but crushing. The point is that Black's knight lacks good squares to go to that still cover the e7-square, as well as that the e6-square is just as good of a home for White's rook. } 32... Re8 { The self-pin is an admission of strategic defeat, but the alternatives were no better. Black's best hope is to get her king to d7 and trade rooks before it is too late. } (32... Nc8 33. Re6 Rg8 34. Nd4 $18 { and Black's pieces are hopelessly frozen. }) 33. Re6!? { A slight inaccuracy. The knight wasn't going anywhere, so it isn't any more tied down now even though the g6-pawn hangs if it moves. Instead, White's rook is now going to be hit when Black's king reaches d7. So, why not just } (33. Nd4 { first? } 33... Kc8 34. b5 { with the point that } 34... Kd7 { is now met by } (34... Kd8 35. Kd2 $18 { [%cal Ge1a1] }) 35. c6+! bxc6 36. bxc6+ $18) 33... Kc8 34. Kd2 Kd7 35. Nd4 a6 (35... f4!? { was Black's last chance at activity. } 36. gxf4 Rf8 37. b5 Rxf4 38. Re5 c6 39. bxc6+ bxc6 40. b4 a6 41. Kd3 Rf6 42. Re2 $16 { and White should be winning, but it's more of a fight. } { [%cal Ge2a2,Ga2a6] }) 36. Ke3 Nc6 37. Rxe8 Kxe8 38. Ne6! Ne7 39. Kd4 { White activates all her pieces, confidently and triumphantly declaring that the pawn can wait. } (39. Nxc7+ Kd7 40. Na8 { looks scary, but the knight is not trapped. } 40... Nc8 41. Kd4 Kc6 42. Nb6 $18) 39... c6 { Now, the king enters with } 40. Ke5 { and White went on to win. } 1-0