[Event "Cairns Cup 2024"] [Site "Saint Louis, US"] [Date "2024.06.20"] [Round "7.4"] [White "Muzychuk, Mariya"] [Black "Lee, Alice"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2510"] [WhiteTeam "UKR"] [BlackElo "2368"] [BlackTeam "USA"] [Annotator "WGM Katerina Nemcova"] [Variant "Standard"] [ECO "D27"] [Opening "Queen's Gambit Accepted: Classical Defense, Main Line"] [StudyName "2024 Cairns Cup"] [ChapterName "Muzychuk, Mariya - Lee, Alice"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/oG53fNqo/hQYeXs7C"] [Orientation "white"] 1. c4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. d4 dxc4 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 a6 6. O-O c5 7. Nc3 b5 8. Bb3 Bb7 9. e4 { A sideline to the calmer main move 9. Qe2. Muzychuk wishes to play aggressively. } 9... cxd4 (9... Nxe4? { Taking the pawn is not advisable, Black will have trouble via the suddenly semi-open e-file. } 10. Nxe4 Bxe4 11. Re1 (11. Qe2!? Bb7 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Ng5! O-O 14. Qc2 $17) 11... Bd5 12. dxc5 Bxb3 13. Qxb3 Bxc5 14. Qc3 $18) 10. Nxd4 Nc6 (10... Nxe4? { It is still unsafe to capture this pawn. } 11. Nxe4 Bxe4 12. Re1! Bd5 13. Bxd5 Qxd5 14. Nxe6!! { What a cool move! } 14... Qxd1 (14... fxe6 15. Qxd5 $18) 15. Nxg7+!! Kd8 16. Rxd1+ $18 { White is a pawn up, has more active pieces and a safe king. The game is over for Black. }) 11. Nxc6 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Bxc6 13. f3 { The aggressive start has slowed down a bit, however, White has some potential to stir the waters given her strong pawn chain and the possibility to advance in the center. Also, Black needs to figure out how to castle the king or keep him safe. } 13... Bc5+ 14. Kf1 Ke7 { Lee choses not to castle, which is a normal choice given that the queens are off the board. } (14... O-O 15. Bf4 Rfc8 16. Rac1 Bb6 { and the position is balanced. }) 15. e5 Nd7 16. Bg5+ f6? { A mistake which was also played in a game Korobov – Lesiege, Baku, 2016. Black will have immediate troubles here because White's pieces will find excellent cooperation. } (16... Ke8! { The weird-looking but preferable move. One also needs to turn the attention to the sudden activity of black pieces. For example, the knight attacks the e5-square. } 17. Rac1 (17. Bf4 h6 18. Rac1 Rc8) 17... h6 18. Bf4 Ke7 { led to a draw in Koneru – Goryachkina, Toronto, 2024 from the Candidates earlier this year. }) 17. exf6+ gxf6 18. Re1! { Muzychuk wastes no time moving the bishop away. Instead there is a target on the d6-pawn. } 18... e5 19. Bh4 Kd8 { The idea is to move the king away from the pressure on the e-file and minimize the impact of potential Nc3-d5 jumps. However, other problems unfold with this move on the queenside. } (19... b4 { was played in the previously mentioned game from Baku. } 20. Nd5+ Bxd5 21. Bxd5 Rac8 22. Rad1 Rc7 23. f4 Bd6 24. Rd3 h5 25. Bb3 Rh6 26. Rd5 Rc6 27. fxe5 Nxe5 28. Rdxe5+ { and White won in Korobov – Lesiege Baku, 2016. }) 20. Rxe5! { Sharp tactics. } 20... Kc7 (20... Nxe5 21. Bxf6+ Kd7 (21... Kc7 22. Bxe5+ Kb7 23. Bxh8 Rxh8 $18) 22. Rd1+! Ke8 23. Bxh8 $18 { and White has two extra pawns and continuous attack on Black's king. The position is winning. }) 21. Re6 Rae8 22. Rae1 Rxe6 23. Rxe6 Bd4 24. Bd5! { It is time to trade pieces, especially those that are not doing much. These simplifications play a very important role when one has extra pawn(s). } 24... Ba8 25. Bxa8 Rxa8 26. Nd5+ Kd8 27. Nxf6 Bxf6 28. Bxf6+ Kc7 29. Bc3 $18 { This position is winning. White is two pawns up and has a bishop that will support the running pawns and defend the other side of the board. } 29... a5 30. a3 Nc5 31. Rh6 b4 32. axb4 axb4 33. Bxb4 Nd3 34. Bc3 Kd7 35. Rxh7+ Ke6 36. g3 Kf5 37. Rd7 Ra1+ 38. Ke2 { 1-0 White wins. } 1-0