[Event "U.S. National Championships 2025"] [Site "St. Louis"] [Date "2025.07.15"] [Round "06"] [White "Mishra, Abhimanyu"] [Black "Woodward, Andy"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [WhiteElo "2611"] [BlackElo "2567"] [TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"] [Variant "Standard"] [Annotator "Matt Clibanoff"] [ECO "B95"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation"] [StudyName "2025 U.S. National Championships"] [ChapterName "Mishra, Abhimanyu - Woodward, Andy"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/wghfXDuv/2LflNr3B"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5!? { As far as the theory-heavy Najdorf goes, 6. Bg5 is historically considered White's sharpest choice. Some would even describe it as the sharpest opening in all of chess, a good pick if White needs to play for a win. } 6... e6 7. Qf3!? { Already a deviation, as 7. f4 is by far the most popular line here. White's idea is to play Qf3-g3 at some point. } 7... Nbd7 8. O-O-O Qc7 9. Bd3!? { Nepomniachtchi, I. - Sarana, A., 1-0, 71st ch-RUS 2018, https://lichess.org/VeRYA5pE } { Nepomniactchi played this line successfully in 2018, but at this point Mishra is already edging towards an original position. } 9... Be7 { A strong enough move. } (9... b5!? { A more common/aggressive attempt for Black, although this is totally the kind of position where White is prepared to play Nc3-d5, so rushing ... b7-b5-b4 is double-edged. } 10. Rhe1 Be7 11. Qg3 { Ultimately this will come close to transposing, but the b-pawn push likely gave Black a little more counterplay. }) 10. Qg3 h6 11. Bd2 { And we now have an original game. } (11. Be3!? { Bellahcene, B.. - David, Alb, 1-0, 2nd Barreau de Paris GM, 2021, https://lichess.org/wjIbKX5R } { This is the only other move tried in this position. } 11... Ne5 12. f4 Nxd3+ (12... Nc6? 13. f5! { This attack is too much. Black's king is too vulnerable to castle, but also too vulnerable in the middle. }) 13. Rxd3! { In his postgame conversation, Mishra was complaining about the bishop on d3 blocking his attack of the d6-pawn. He was wishing for a trade with Woodward's e5-knight, and this line more or less forces Woodward to take. }) 11... Ne5?! { Interestingly enough the best move again, } 12. Kb1 (12. Be2! { Interestingly enough the best move. The bishop on d3 is not so good, but this prepares f2-f4 with tempo and creates long-term attacking play for White. }) 12... g5?! { Maybe not best, but a difficult place for Black to find a move. The computer's 12. ... Nh5 seems to lead nowhere. } (12... b5!? { This is possible but allows f2-f4. }) 13. f3 Rg8 14. h4! { White should have an edge here, as ... g5-g4 isn't working because of f3-f4, where as Black's ... b7-b5 feels a bit too slow now. } 14... b5 15. hxg5 hxg5 16. Rh6?! (16. Bxg5! Nfd7 17. f4 Nxd3 18. cxd3 { This looks pretty difficult to deal with for Black. After the queen reaches the h4-square, stepping out of the pin, White should be the one having all the fun . }) 16... Bb7 17. Qe1 { Preparing the a5-square for the bishop. } 17... Nfd7 18. Nce2 Rc8 19. Ba5 Qc5 20. Bb4 Qb6 21. Ba5 Qc5 22. a3 Bf6 23. Bb4 Qb6 24. Ba5 Qc5 25. Bb4 Qb6 { After this series of } 26. Ba5 (26. Nb3! { Mishra didn't need to take the draw. } 26... Rh8 (26... g4?! 27. f4 Nxd3 28. cxd3) 27. Rxf6!! Nxf6 28. Nc3! { And now the path forward isn't totally clear, but the d6-pawn is loose, and Black has no good squares for his queen. } 28... Nfd7 29. Ba5! Qa7? (29... Qc6 30. Be2 { This line is less clear. }) 30. Bxb5!! { Another sacrifice. } 30... axb5 31. Nxb5 Qa6 32. Nxd6+! { Finally landing that killer blow on d6. Still, even here, while it feels good for White, it's not entirely clear how one proceeds. That said, Black's pieces are out of sorts and this is the kind of risky position White would need to go for a win at this stage of the tournament. This entire line is incredibly difficult to see, but it is the the kind of line that enough energy in the game to make it interesting. Rolling the dice may have been the way to go. The draw keeps Mishra within striking distance, but he no longer controls his own destiny. }) 26... Qc5 { 1/2-1/2 wins. } 1/2-1/2