KRUSH vs YU – ROUND 3 US CHAMPIONSHIP - Women 2019

This game is from round 3 of the US Championship Women 2019, fully annotated. It is between Irina Krush with White against Jennifer Yu with Black.

This game features a Caro-Kann Defence. To learn more about the Caro-Kann Defence, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Krush,Irina (2451) - Yu,Jennifer (2273)

US-ch Women 2019 Saint Louis (3.1), 22.03.2019

1.c4 c6 2.e4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Be6 7.a3 Qd7 [7...dxc4? 8.Bxf6 Qa5 9.Be5+-] 

8.Be2 B13: Caro-Kann: Exchange Variation and Panov-Botvinnik Attack [8.Nge2 dxc4 9.Bxf6 exf6 10.d5 0–0–0 11.dxc6 Qxc6 12.Qa4 Qb6 13.Qb5 Qc7 14.Ng3 a6 15.Qa4 Qf4 1–0 (39) Inarkiev,E (2693)-Dreev,A (2670) Moscow 2018] 

8...Rd8 [Of course not 8...dxc4?! 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.d5±] 

9.Bxf6 exf6 10.c5 The position is equal. 

10...g6 11.Nf3 

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11...h5 [11...Bh6 12.b4 a6 13.0–0 0–0 14.Rb1 Rfe8 15.a4 a5 1–0 (64) Sanchez Rodenas,J (2342)-Fetisov,A (2429) ICCF email 2014] 

12.b4 Bh6 13.b5 Ne7 14.h4 [14.a4±] 

14...Kf8 15.a4 Kg7 16.a5 

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16...Nc8 [16...Bg4=] 

17.b6 a6 18.Na2 Ne7 19.Nb4 Qc8 20.Ra3 Rde8 21.Rc3 Bd7 [21...Bg4=] 

22.0–0² Bc6 [22...Bf4²] 

23.Ne1 Nf5 24.Nxc6 Qxc6 

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25.Nc2! Nxh4 26.Nb4 Qe6 27.Bd3 [White should play 27.Bf3± ] 

27...Bf4 28.c6 [White should try 28.Bb1± ] 

28...Bd6= 29.Rc5 [29.Nc2!= keeps the balance. 29...bxc6 30.Bxa6] 

29...Bxc5‚ White is in trouble. [¹29...f5 White must now prevent ...Qf6. 30.cxb7 Qf6] 

30.dxc5µ bxc6 31.Nxa6 Qe5 Strongly threatening ...Qg5. 

32.Nc7? [32.b7µ might work better.] 

32...Re7!–+ 

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33.Qa4? [33.a6 d4 34.a7 Qxc5 35.a8Q Rxa8 36.Nxa8] 

33...Qg5 Black is clearly winning. 

34.g3 Nf3+ 35.Kg2 Ne1+ 36.Rxe1 Rxe1 37.Qf4 Qg4 38.f3 Qd7 

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39.a6 White hopes to continue with Qd6. 

39...Qe7 40.Qd2 Ra1 [Don't go for 40...Qe3? 41.Qxe3 Rxe3 42.a7+-]  0–1

ESWARAN vs WANG – ROUND 1 US CHAMPIONSHIP - Women 2019

This game is from round 1 of the US Championship Women 2019, fully annotated. It is between Ashritha Eswaran with White against Annie Wang with Black.

This game features a Sicilian Defence. To learn more about the Sicilian Defence, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Eswaran,Ashritha (2234) - Wang,Annie (2304)

US-ch Women 2019 Saint Louis (1.4), 20.03.2019

1.e4 c5 2.Ne2 d6 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.c3 d5 [5...e6 6.d4 Be7 7.d5 exd5 8.exd5 Ne5 9.f4 Ng6 10.c4 h5 11.h3 Bf5 12.Nbc3 Qd7 1/2–1/2 (31) Ma,Q (2637)-Xu,Y (2536) Beijing 2017] 

6.exd5 B20: Sicilian: Unusual White 2nd moves 

6...Nxd5 7.d4 e6 8.0–0 White is slightly better. 

8...Be7 

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9.a4 [9.Nd2 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nxd4 11.cxd4 0–0 12.Qb3 b6 1/2–1/2 (38) Kalvach,L (1815)-Aytmukhametov,B (1000) Prague 2018] 

9...0–0 10.Na3 cxd4 11.Nxd4 Bf6 12.Nac2 Nce7 

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13.f4 [White should play 13.Re1² ] 

13...Qc7= 14.Qf3 Bd7 15.Kh1 g6 16.Bd2 Rac8 17.Qf2 a6 18.Ne1 [18.Kg1=] 

18...Nc6 [Better is 18...Bxd4µ 19.Qxd4 Nf5] 

19.Ndf3 Na5 20.Nd3 Nb3 21.Ra3 Nxd2 22.Nxd2 Bc6 23.Ne4 Black must now prevent c4. 

23...Bg7 24.Nec5 Nb6 25.Raa1 Rfd8 26.Rfd1 

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26...Nc4 aiming for ...Bxg2+. 

27.Ne4 b6 28.Nb4 [28.Bf3µ was worth a try.] 

28...Bb7 [28...Bxe4–+ 29.Bxe4 29...Nxb2!] 

29.Qe2 a5 30.Nd3 Bc6 31.Ndf2 

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31...Bd5 [31...Rxd1+µ 32.Nxd1 Bb7] 

32.Ng5 [32.Rab1³] 

32...Bxg2+ [32...Qc6–+ and Black stays clearly on top. 33.Bxd5 exd5] 

33.Kxg2µ Qc6+ 34.Nf3 [White should try 34.Kh3 ] 

34...Rxd1 35.Nxd1 Rd8 36.Kg1 Bf8 37.Nd4 Bc5 38.Ne3? [38.Nf2µ Bxd4 39.cxd4 Rxd4 40.Rd1 Rxd1+ 41.Qxd1] 

38...Rxd4–+ 39.cxd4 

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39...Bxd4 Double Attack 

40.Rc1 Qe4 41.Qxc4 Bxe3+ 42.Kf1 Qf3+  0–1

KRUSH vs NGUYEN – ROUND 1 US CHAMPIONSHIP - Women 2019

This game is from round 1 of the US Championship Women 2019, fully annotated. It is between Irina Krush with White against Emily Nguyen with Black.

This game features a Slav Defence. To learn more about the Slav Defence, here is the best instruction book I could find on Amazon.

Krush,Irina (2451) - Nguyen,Emily (2143)

US-ch Women 2019 Saint Louis (1.1), 20.03.2019

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bd3 D15: Slav Defence: 4 Nc3 a6 and gambit lines after 4 Nc3 dxc4 [6.Qb3 with more complications. 6...b5 7.c5 Nbd7 8.Nh4 Bg6 9.a4] 

6...Bxd3 7.Qxd3 e6 8.0–0 White has an edge. 

8...Bb4 9.a3 Bxc3 10.bxc3 b5 

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11.cxd5 [11.cxb5 axb5 12.a4 Ne4 13.Ba3 Rxa4 1/2–1/2 (42) Ding,L (2816)-Vitiugov,N (2709) Shenzhen 2018] 

11...exd5 12.Nd2 0–0 13.f3 Nbd7 14.e4 dxe4 15.fxe4 c5 16.Qf3 cxd4 17.cxd4 Nc5 18.Bb2 And now e5 would win. 

18...Na4 19.Qb3! Ra7 20.Kh1 Rd7 

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21.d5 Black must now prevent Bxf6. 

21...Nxb2 22.Qxb2 Re8ƒ Black is really pushing. 

23.Rf4 Nh5 [23...Qb6µ] 

24.Rf5= Nf6 25.Qd4 Qe7 26.Re1 Qxa3 

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27.h3 [Better is 27.Nf3 ] 

27...Rc8 [¹27...Qd6 28.Rc1 h6] 

28.Re3 [¹28.Rf3 Qd6 29.Rfe3] 

28...Qc5 29.Qd3 [29.Qxc5µ Rxc5 30.Rg3] 

29...Qc2 30.Qd4 Black should prevent Rxf6. 

30...Qc5 31.Qd3! Ne8 32.Rff3 Nd6 [32...f6µ Strongly threatening ...a5. 33.Nb3 Qc2] 

33.e5 Nc4 34.Qf5! 

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34...Nxe3?? [34...Nxd2³ keeps the upper hand. 35.Qxd7 Nxf3 36.Rxf3 Qc1+ 37.Kh2 Qc7 38.Qxc7 Rxc7] 

35.Qxd7+- Rf8 [¹35...Qc7 36.Qxc7 Rxc7] 

36.e6 Qc1+ 37.Kh2! Qxd2 38.exf7+ Kh8 

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39.Rxe3! Qf2 [39...Qxe3 40.Qd6] 

40.Qe8 Qf4+ 41.Kg1  1–0