Commentary: 2022 U.S. Women's Championship, Round 9 (Tokhirjonova - Lee)

I was hoping to wrap up my examination of the 2022 U.S. Women's Championship before this year's finished, but have not been quick enough. I even went backwards with this game, looking at the round 9 win by Tokhirjonova over Megan Lee after analyzing a round 10 game, because of the interesting opening structure. The formation of a fianchettoed kingside bishop plus Nf3 and d4 used to be more common for White in the opening, and appears to be making something of a comeback. This is one of those openings that can transpose easily to a Reti, Queen's Gambit or Catalan, but does not have to.

Here the game follows an independent course, with Black varying the symmetry early with 5...Ne4!? and White choosing to make a real gambit out of it. This provides an excellent lesson in that sometimes nebulous concept of "compensation" - White has an advantage in both structure and development/time, but fritters that away by move 20. Nevertheless, she still has an equal position despite being a pawn down, with her two bishops being very effective. She then correctly chooses to focus on a kingside attack, which Black mishandles and cannot recover. Tactics were key to this for White, especially 35. Bc6! which perhaps Black missed, and sealed the game for White.

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Move	N	Result	Elo	Players

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1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.d4 this now brings the opening out of the Reti realm. Nf6 5.0-0 White has staked out a presence in the center with d4, but waits before committing further with c4. Ne4!? this is a very rare idea and seems premature. In a symmetrical opening setup, the Black player moving the same piece twice will by definition lose time, so needs to have a specific follow-up idea that makes it worthwhile. Here there do not seem to be enough threats generated by the move to compensate for the time loss. 6.c4 scored by Dragon 3.2 as best. White in this position can still use typical Queen's Gambit ideas to undermine Black's center. c6 6...dxc4 7.Qa4+ c6 8.Qxc4 7.Nc3 There are various good options here, with b3 being played almost exclusively in the database games. Here White instead looks to exchange off the time-wasting Black knight and thereby increase her relative development. Nxc3 7...0-0 8.Qb3 8.bxc3 dxc4 now White has a true gambit, however with more than sufficient compensation for the pawn in terms of development and structure, including better central control. 9.e4 White plays straightforwardly for the center. 9.a4 would be a more prophylactic move, restricting ...b5. 9...Bg4?! here with h3 White could either force a trade of minor pieces, thereby winning the two bishops, or a bishop retreat, gaining additional time. White's next move instead maintains the tension in the center. 10.Qe2 also threatening to take on c4, spurring Black's next. b5 11.a4 looking to disrupt the pawn formation. 0-0 12.axb5 this was perhaps premature, with e5 and h3 being other ideas. 12.e5!? and now Qe4 is possible immediately after a pawn exchange on b5. 12...cxb5 13.e5 a5?! this allows White's next. 13...Nd7 now the Ra8 is protected. 14.Qe4 Bf5= 14.Qe4! now the exchange on f3 is forced, due to the fork of rook and bishop. Bxf3 15.Bxf3 Ra6 Black is still a pawn up, but is behind in development and space and her pieces are not working together at all. 16.Ba3± White's two bishops are now very well placed. Nc6 17.Bc5 17.Rfb1 would more directly target Black's weaknesses, as the pawn cannot be effectively protected. The general rule with hanging pawns is to hit them with everything you have. Qb8 17...Qd7 would indirectly protect the b-pawn, as the Nc6 could then move with a discovered attack on b5 by the queen, but this fails after 18.Qd5 Qxd5 19.Bxd5 Rb8 20.Bxc6 Rxc6 21.Bxe7± 18.Be2± threatening Bxc4 due to the pin on the b-file. 17...Qc7 getting out of the way of the Rf8. 18.Qe3 recognizing the Q+B battery on the long diagonal is no longer effective and readjusting the queen's position, with more flexibility. Rb8 19.Rfb1 this poses no threat to the b-pawn now, as opposed to the position on on move 17. Nd8= having stabilized the position, Black redeploys the knight to a better square. 20.Bd5 perhaps played with the idea of restraining the ...b4 advance. However, the bishop is a little awkwardly placed here and Black can continue with her knight maneuver. Ne6 21.Ba3 White's two bishops are still enough to compensate for the pawn deficit, by helping keep a space advantage and pressure on Black's position, but need to be preserved. 21.Bxe6?! Rxe6 and now Black is essentially a pawn up for nothing. 21...Qd8 targeting the hanging Bd5 while still covering e7. 22.Be4 22.Qf3 immediately looks better, saving time on the bishop retreat and keeping it on a better diagonal. And if Nc7?? 23.Qxf7++- 22...Nc7 reinforcing b5 and protecting the Ra6, thereby giving the knight useful work to do. Now the b-pawn can advance. 23.Bc5 getting out of the way of the b-pawn and to a better diagonal again. e6 avoiding a repetition with ...Ne6. 24.Qf3 Qc8 Black apparently is now interested in mobilizing her queenside majority and overprotects the Ra6, so that the Nc7 is again mobile. 25.h4 White now plays on the kingside, where Black is weaker and White's two bishops and queen are well-positioned. An h-pawn advance against a fianchettoed bishop position is a standard theme, especially when there is no knight protecting it. Bf8 looking to exchange off one of the bishop pair. 26.h5 White persists with her idea of assaulting the kingside pawn shield. Bxc5 27.dxc5 White's queenside pawn structure is shattered, but the increased kingside attacking potential is sufficient compensation. Ne8? the general idea of swinging the knight back to the defense is principled, but this avenue does not work. 27...Nd5!= 28.c6+- White chooses to keep the pawn by advancing it into protection; despite being behind Black's lines, it cannot effectively be targeted. 28.hxg6 immediately was also possible. 28...Qc7 pressuring the e5 pawn, without which White has no attack. 29.Qf4 consolidating the advantage by guarding the pawn and positioning the queen to penetrate on the dark squares. The rook lift threat Rb1-d1-d7 is now quite powerful, given the weakness of f7; meanwhile, Black still has to blockade the c-pawn. Ng7 30.hxg6 30.h6! is also possible as the knight is driven away, with White's pressure resulting in material gain. For example Nh5 30...Ne8 31.Rd1 Rd8 32.Qg5+- 31.Qg5 Ra7 32.Rd1 Qe7 33.Qxe7 Rxe7 34.Rxa5+- 30...fxg6 this is marginally better than recapturing with the h-pawn, which would open the less defensible h-file. 31.Rd1 from this point on, Black desperately tries to fend off White's threats, but this is not possible. Rd8 32.Qg5 Raa8 exchanging rooks would simple give White ownership of the d-file. 33.Rd7 White's rook is still able to move decisively to the 7th rank, however. Rxd7 34.cxd7 Rd8 35.Bc6! White had to find this tactical finesse, with a decoy / removal of the guard theme. Black cannot leave d8 unprotected. Rxd7 Black chooses to get rid of the advanced passed pawn and simplify into a (still-losing) rook vs. minor piece endgame. However her pawns are too weak and the knight is outmatched by White's rook. 36.Bxd7 Qxd7 37.Rxa5 Qd1+ 38.Kh2 Qd5 39.Ra7 again a rook on the 7th rank dominates. Qf3 40.Qd8+ Qf8 41.Qxf8+ Kxf8 42.Rb7 Nf5 43.Rxb5 this is now resignable for Black, but she plays on, perhaps in the hopes of White stumbling into a knight fork at some point. Ne7 44.Rc5 Nd5 45.Rxc4 Ke7 46.Rc6 Kd7 47.Rd6+ Ke7 48.c4 Nc3 49.Ra6 Kd7 50.Ra7+ Kc6 51.Rxh7 now all White has to do is snatch Black pawns and end up in a winning K+P endgame structure, exchanging the rook for knight when that happens. Ne4 52.f4 g5 53.Re7 gxf4 54.gxf4 Kc5 55.Rxe6 Kxc4 56.Rd6 now the e-pawn can just run in, as Black's king is cut off and the knight cannot take the rook without the pawn queening. 1–0

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White	EloW	Black	EloB	Res	ECO	Rnd

Tokhirjonova,G

2336

Lee,M

2226

1–0

D02

9

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