[Event "1000GM Las Vegas Super Swiss"] [Site "Las Vegas"] [Date "2023.06.11"] [White "Austin Mei"] [Black "Eric Rosen"] [Result "1-0"] [Annotator "Lang, JJ"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "C84"] [Opening "Ruy Lopez: Closed, Martinez Variation"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/nvFfMnzT/Eo6HbUzK"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. d3 d6 7. c3 O-O 8. Re1 b5 9. Bc2 Re8 10. a4 (10. Nbd2 { is by far the main move. }) 10... b4 (10... Bb7 { has also been tried, including by Hansen: } 11. Nbd2 Nb8 12. b4 Nbd7 13. Nb3 Rb8 14. axb5 axb5 15. d4 Bf8 16. d5 Qc8 17. Bg5 c6 18. dxc6 Bxc6 19. Qd2 h6 20. Bh4 Qc7 21. Rac1 d5 22. exd5 Bxd5 23. Bg3 Rbd8 24. Nh4 Nb6 25. Qe2 Nc4 26. Nf5 Na3 27. Ne3 Be6 28. Nd4 Nxc2 29. Rxc2 Bd7 30. Nxb5 Qc8 31. Bh4 g5 32. Bg3 Ne4 33. Na3 f5 { and Black won in Pichot – Hansen, Chess.com, 2017. }) 11. a5 Rb8 12. Nbd2 Bf8 13. Nc4 Bd7 $146 14. Bd2 g6 15. h3 Bg7 16. Ba4 Nh5 17. Bg5 Qc8 18. Qd2 f6 19. Be3 { Until here, White has mostly enjoyed the typical slight advantage from these positions, as the two sides go into a battle of attrition waiting to see who makes the first commitment. } 19... f5?! (19... Nd8!? { Trading the "good bishop" is not so bad for Black: } 20. Bxd7 Qxd7 21. g4 Nf4 22. Bxf4 exf4 23. Qxf4 Ne6 { and the battle is clearly over the dark squares, anyways, where Black's remaining bishop can be an asset providing compensation. }) 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Bh6 f4 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. d4 e4 { The next critical moment. White has allowed Black to expand on the kingside, so it is natural to want to respond in the center. } 24. d5? { But, apparently, it is too slow! } (24. Nh2 { White keeps things fixed in the center and will instead argue that Black is overextended. } 24... Kh8 (24... Bxh3 25. Bxc6 $18 { and the queen has no path to the kingside thanks to the trusty steed on h2. }) (24... f3?? 25. Qg5+ Kh8 26. Qxh5 $18) 25. d5 Ne5 (25... Rg8 { is also insufficient. } 26. Bxc6 Bxh3 27. Qd4+ Rg7 28. Rxe4 Bxg2 29. Re7! $18) 26. Rxe4 $16) 24... exf3 { This keeps things in balance, but Black missed an extremely precise opportunity: } (24... Bxh3!! 25. gxh3 Qxh3 { and now White's knight is a goner, as there is not time to save it while also saving the mate on g2. } 26. Ng5 Qg4+ 27. Kh2 Qxg5 28. Rg1 Ng3! { An easy move to miss! } 29. fxg3 Qh5+ 30. Kg2 f3+ 31. Kf2 Qh2+ 32. Kf1 Qh3+ 33. Ke1 Rf8 { with adequate compensation. But this is a bit extreme, even for Rosen! }) 25. dxc6 Bxh3 26. Qd5 Qg4 27. Qxf3 Qxf3 28. gxf3 Re6 29. Rxe6 Bxe6 30. Nd2 Nf6 31. c4 Kf7 32. Kh2 Bf5 33. Nb3 Bd3 (33... Be6 34. c5 Bxb3 35. Bxb3+ d5 $15) 34. c5! { Black had been holding on to a static edge in the complicated position, but errs here in allowing White to change the structure. } 34... dxc5?! (34... d5 35. Nd4) 35. Nxc5 Be2 36. Bb3+ Kg6 37. Rg1+ Kh6 38. Nd7 Nxd7 39. cxd7 Rd8 40. Be6 { Suddenly, after 40 moves (there is no second time control, but still, this is the cursed moment in many games), Black finds himself with a quarantined king and a purely passive rook. } 40... Bb5 41. Rc1 c6 (41... Kg7!? { King activity was perhaps more important than the c-pawn. } 42. Rxc7 Kf6 43. Bc4 Rxd7 44. Rxd7 Bxd7 45. Bxa6 Ke5 46. Bf1 Kd6 47. Bh3 Bc6 48. Bc8 { when White still has to do some work. }) 42. Rg1 c5 43. Rc1? { This allows counterplay. } (43. b3 { And now what? } 43... Bc6 44. Rc1 $18) 43... c4 44. Bxc4 { Another pop quiz! } 44... Rxd7? (44... Bxc4 { was necessary: } 45. Rxc4 Rxd7 46. Rxf4 Rd5) 45. Bxb5 axb5 46. Rc6+ Kg5 47. Rc5+ Kh4 (47... Kg6 48. Rxb5 Ra7 49. Kh3 Kf7 50. Kg4 { is winning, as Black's rook is too passive to do anything to help out its cut-off king. }) 48. Rf5! Ra7 49. Rxb5 h5 50. Rxb4 Rxa5 51. Rxf4+ Kg5 52. Rb4 { Now, White is winning. } 52... Ra1 53. Kg2 Rb1 54. b3 Kf5 55. Rb5+ Kf4 56. b4 h4 57. Rh5 h3+ 58. Rxh3 Kg5 59. Rg3+ Kf4 60. Rg4+ Kf5 61. Rc4 Kg5 62. f4+ Kg4 63. f3+ Kf5 64. Kf2 Rb3 65. Kg3 Rb1 66. Rc5+ Kf6 67. b5 Rf1 68. f5 Kg5 69. f4+ Kf6 70. Kg4 Rg1+ 71. Kf3 Re1 72. Re5 Rb1 73. Ke4 Rb4+ 74. Ke3 Ra4 75. Re4 Ra3+ 76. Kd4 Kxf5 77. Re1 Rb3 78. Kc5 Kxf4 79. Kc6 Rc3+ 80. Kb7 Kf5 81. b6 Kf6 82. Kb8 Rc4 83. b7 Ra4 84. Rc1 Rh4 85. Kc7 { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0