[Event "U.S. National Championships 2025"] [Site "St. Louis"] [Date "2025.07.15"] [Round "07"] [White "Li, Rachael"] [Black "Wu, Rochelle"] [Result "1-0"] [WhiteElo "2162"] [BlackElo "2213"] [TimeControl "40/5400+30:1800+30"] [Variant "Standard"] [Annotator "Matt Clibanoff"] [ECO "B24"] [Opening "Sicilian Defense: Closed, Fianchetto Variation"] [StudyName "2025 U.S. National Championships"] [ChapterName "Li, Rachael - Wu, Rochelle"] [ChapterURL "https://lichess.org/study/wghfXDuv/gqCy6XfV"] [Orientation "white"] 1. e4 { [%clk 1:30:59] } 1... c5 { [%clk 1:30:54] } 2. Nc3 { [%clk 1:31:25] } 2... Nc6 { [%clk 1:31:08] } 3. g3 { [%clk 1:31:45] } 3... d6 { [%clk 1:30:30] } 4. Bg2 { [%clk 1:32:11] } 4... e5 { Black opts for a reversed-Botvinnik against the Closed Sicilian, which has been getting quite a bit of play in the Girls' Junior this year. } { [%clk 1:30:56] } 5. d3 { [%clk 1:32:35] } 5... g6 { [%clk 1:31:01] } 6. Be3 { [%clk 1:32:13] } 6... Bg7 { [%clk 1:31:22] } 7. Qd2 { [%clk 1:32:39] } 7... h6?! { This is a bit slow. Black will have trouble castling now. } { [%clk 1:30:10] } (7... Nge7 { Normal development is preferable. } 8. Bh6 Bxh6 9. Qxh6 Nd4! { Hitting the c2-pawn and buying Black time. } 10. Qd2 O-O { I've never found these Closed Sicilians to feel too threatening. White traded dark-squared bishops, but it cost a lot of time to do so. }) 8. f4 { [%clk 1:30:01] } 8... Nf6 { [%clk 1:27:07] } 9. h3 { [%clk 1:28:06] } 9... Nh5 { [%clk 1:24:55] } 10. Nge2 { [%clk 1:27:45] } 10... Nd4 { [%clk 1:24:28] } 11. O-O-O { [%clk 1:17:40] } 11... Qa5 { [%clk 1:15:18] } 12. Kb1 { [%clk 1:10:10] } 12... exf4? { Unnecessary. } { [%clk 1:14:35] } (12... b5! { Not that this is the greatest move on earth, but Black has to make something happen here or she's going to have a very bad time. }) 13. gxf4 { [%clk 1:09:26] } 13... Be6 { [%clk 1:10:57] } 14. Nc1 { [%clk 1:03:57] } 14... O-O-O { [%clk 1:07:57] } 15. Nb3 { [%clk 1:00:38] } 15... Qb4 { [%clk 1:03:07] } 16. Qf2 { [%clk 0:52:35] } 16... Nc6? { [%clk 0:50:17] } 17. e5! { Opening up the light-squared bishop and creating an attack against Black's already-shaky king. } { [%clk 0:43:00] } 17... Bxb3 { [%clk 0:29:29] } 18. axb3 { [%clk 0:42:09] } 18... Nd4 { [%clk 0:19:58] } 19. Ne4 { [%clk 0:30:58] } 19... Nf5 { [%clk 0:16:02] } (19... dxe5? 20. fxe5 Bxe5 21. c3! { Losing. }) 20. Nxd6+ { [%clk 0:30:20] } 20... Nxd6 { [%clk 0:16:14] } 21. exd6 { [%clk 0:30:44] } 21... Bd4 { [%clk 0:14:56] } 22. c3 { [%clk 0:27:29] } 22... Bxe3 { [%clk 0:15:21] } 23. Qxe3 { [%clk 0:27:57] } 23... Qb6 { [%clk 0:15:19] } (23... Qxb3? 24. Qxc5+ { And Black is definitely getting the worst of it. }) 24. d4 { [%clk 0:23:49] } 24... Qxd6 { [%clk 0:13:04] } 25. Rhf1 { [%clk 0:18:23] } 25... Rhe8 { [%clk 0:12:07] } 26. Qf3! { White's threats are just everywhere. The computer judges this to be +1.0, but it's an incredibly stressful position for Black with the mate threat on b7, the discovery on the d-file, and the horribly placed h5-knight. } { [%clk 0:18:39] } 26... Qc7 { [%clk 0:11:34] } 27. dxc5 { [%clk 0:16:56] } 27... Rxd1+ { [%clk 0:11:34] } 28. Qxd1 { [%clk 0:17:15] } 28... Nxf4 { [%clk 0:08:15] } 29. Bxb7+! { The setup when White brought the queen back to d1. } { [%clk 0:15:57] } 29... Kxb7 { [%clk 0:08:41] } 30. Qf3+?! { A good move, but suboptimal. } { [%clk 0:13:57] } (30. Rxf4! Qxf4 31. Qd7+ Qc7 32. Qb5+ Kc8 33. Qxe8+ Kb7 34. b4 { And White has a much better ending. }) 30... Kc8 { [%clk 0:07:15] } 31. Qxf4 { [%clk 0:16:41] } 31... Qxf4 { [%clk 0:06:56] } 32. Rxf4 { [%clk 0:17:05] } 32... f5 { [%clk 0:07:11] } 33. Kc2 { [%clk 0:13:51] } 33... Re5 { [%clk 0:06:19] } 34. Kd3?? { [%clk 0:13:32] } (34. Rh4! { Active defense! } 34... Rxc5 (34... h5 35. b4 { White's king is more active and her passed pawn is further along. }) 35. Rxh6) 34... Rxc5 { [%clk 0:05:24] } 35. Rh4 { [%clk 0:08:00] } 35... h5 { [%clk 0:05:00] } 36. Kd4 { [%clk 0:07:28] } 36... Rb5 { [%clk 0:05:14] } 37. b4 { [%clk 0:06:50] } 37... Kc7 { [%clk 0:05:08] } 38. Ke3 { [%clk 0:06:06] } 38... Re5+ { [%clk 0:03:55] } 39. Kf3 { [%clk 0:06:26] } 39... Re1 { [%clk 0:03:46] } 40. Rc4+ { [%clk 0:06:33] } 40... Kd7 { [%clk 0:03:58] } 41. Kf4 { [%clk 0:03:08] } 41... Ke6 { [%clk 0:19:55] } 42. Rc6+ { [%clk 0:33:12] } 42... Kf7 { [%clk 0:20:20] } 43. Ra6 { [%clk 0:31:37] } 43... Kg7?? { [%clk 0:14:06] } (43... Rf1+! 44. Ke5 Re1+ 45. Kd4 f4! { The Black rook cuts off the White king. The f-pawn will run at the same speed as White's b-pawn! } 46. Rxa7+ Kf6) 44. Rxa7+ { [%clk 0:30:32] } 44... Kh6 { [%clk 0:14:32] } 45. b5 { [%clk 0:26:39] } 45... Rf1+ { [%clk 0:10:34] } 46. Kg3 { [%clk 0:24:22] } 46... f4+ { [%clk 0:09:05] } 47. Kg2 { [%clk 0:24:47] } 47... Rd1 { [%clk 0:09:18] } 48. Kf3 { [%clk 0:24:12] } 48... Rd2 { [%clk 0:07:08] } 49. Kxf4 { And from here it's, as they say, a matter of technique. } { [%clk 0:23:55] } 49... Rxb2 { [%clk 0:07:33] } 50. c4 { [%clk 0:23:48] } 50... Rb3 { [%clk 0:07:48] } 51. h4 { [%clk 0:22:58] } 51... Rh3 { [%clk 0:08:11] } 52. c5 { [%clk 0:23:13] } 52... Rxh4+ { [%clk 0:08:35] } 53. Ke5 { [%clk 0:21:48] } 53... Rb4 { [%clk 0:08:35] } 54. b6 { [%clk 0:22:15] } 54... h4 { [%clk 0:08:53] } 55. b7 { [%clk 0:22:35] } 55... h3 { [%clk 0:09:00] } 56. c6 { [%clk 0:23:00] } 56... Rb5+ { [%clk 0:09:02] } 57. Kd6 { [%clk 0:21:02] } 57... h2 { [%clk 0:08:46] } 58. Ra1 { 1-0 White wins. } { [%clk 0:21:26] } 1-0