[Event "2015 Calgary Invitational"]
[Site "Calgary"]
[Date "2015.10.30"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Haessel, Dale"]
[Black "Kazmaier, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A91"]
[WhiteElo "2195"]
[BlackElo "2220"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2015.10.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 e6 4. c4 c6 5. Nh3 d6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Qc2 e5
9. dxe5 dxe5 10. e4 Qe8 11. exf5 Qh5 12. Ng5 Ng4 13. h3 Bxg5 14. hxg4 Qxg4 15.
Bxg5 Qxg5 16. Ne4 Qxf5 17. Qb3 Qe6 18. Rad1 Nd7 19. Rd6 Qf7 20. Qc3 Qe7 21.
Rfd1 Nb6 22. b3 Bg4 23. R1d2 Rae8 24. Qa5 Nc8 25. R6d3 Bf5 26. c5 Qf7 27. Qc3
Qg6 28. Re3 Qf7 29. Rde2 Re7 30. Nd2 Bg4 31. f3 Bh5 32. Rxe5 Qf6 33. R2e3 Bg6
34. f4 Rxe5 35. Rxe5 Rd8 36. Kf2 Ne7 37. Ne4 Bxe4 38. Bxe4 Ng6 39. Bxg6 Qxg6
40. Qc4+ Kh8 41. Qe2 h6 42. Re6 Qf5 43. Re8+ Rxe8 44. Qxe8+ Kh7 45. Qe7 b6 46.
cxb6 axb6 {The position looks like a dead draw but play continued:} 47. Ke3 h5
$2 {A mistake that is hard to explain.} ({The simplest way to draw is} 47...
Qh3 {keeping the queens on the board and reminding White about the g3-pawn.})
48. Qe4 $1 {White seizes his chance to get the queens off the board obtaining
a winning pawn endgame. However, the adventures are far from being over.} Qg6 (
{Relatively best is} 48... Kg6 {but here White can change his mind and simply
grab both queenside pawns:} 49. Qxc6+ Kf7 50. Qxb6 {etc.}) 49. Kd4 $2 {After
this mistake Black can get a surprising draw with precise play.} ({White has
several winning moves here; the most accurate one is} 49. a4 $1 {preparing to
create a passer on the queenside.} {White may have been afraid of} c5 {but he
has a relatively simple forced win:} 50. Qxg6+ Kxg6 51. Ke4 Kf6 52. Kd5 Kf5 53.
Kc6 Kg4 54. Kxb6 Kxg3 55. a5 h4 56. a6 h3 57. a7 h2 58. a8=Q {etc.}) 49... c5+
$1 50. Kd5 Qxe4+ 51. Kxe4 Kg6 $2 {What a pity!} (51... Kh6 $3 {intending quick
g7-g5 saves a crucial tempo along with half a point.} {White's best try is} 52.
Kf5 (52. Ke5 g5 {also gives Black sufficient counterplay}) (52. Kd5 g5 53.
fxg5+ $2 {actually loses as Black queens first:} Kxg5 54. Kc6 Kg4 55. Kxb6 Kxg3
56. a4 h4 {etc.}) {which is met by} 52... h4 $3 53. gxh4 Kh5 {with an
inevitable draw.}) 52. a4 {Now the game has transposed to the line given above.
} Kf6 53. Kd5 g5 54. fxg5+ Kxg5 {Black resigned.} ({The game could have
concluded:} 54... Kxg5 55. Kc6 Kg4 56. Kxb6 Kxg3 57. a5 h4 58. a6 {etc.}) 1-0

[Event "2015 Calgary Invitational"]
[Site "Calgary"]
[Date "2015.10.31"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ng, Gary"]
[Black "Haessel, Dale"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2182"]
[BlackElo "2195"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "2015.10.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. Qxd4 Nxc3 7. Qxc3 Nc6
8. e4 Bg4 9. Bb5 {This whole line looks good for White who achieves an
excellent score in the database. Black, however, is not obligated to lose
quickly.} Rc8 10. O-O a6 11. Ne5 {This move must have come as a surprise for
Black.} ({In this position} 11. Ba4 {is a normal continuation.}) 11... Bd7 $4 {
It's hard to believe but now the game is essentially over.} (11... axb5 {
is a must.} {Actually, after} 12. Nxg4 e6 {Black doesn't have much to worry
about, which doesn't speak very highly of the merit of 11. Ne5.}) 12. Bxc6 $1
Bxc6 13. Qf3 {Black is simply defenceless, and the rest of the game is a
massacre.} f6 14. Qh5+ g6 15. Nxg6 hxg6 16. Qxh8 ({Another good line is} 16.
Qxg6+ Kd7 17. Rd1+ Kc7 18. Bf4+ Kb6 19. Rxd8 {with a decisive advantage.})
16... Bxe4 17. Bh6 Kf7 18. Qh7+ Ke6 19. Rfe1 1-0

[Event "2015 Calgary Invitational"]
[Site "Calgary"]
[Date "2015.11.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shi, Diwen"]
[Black "Kazmaier, Daniel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2151"]
[BlackElo "2220"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2015.10.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Nf3 c5 6. Bg5 {This
quick-developing move has a mediocre reputation but no direct refutation.
Diwen plays it regularly and this game is an excellent illustration of what
White wants.} Qb6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qd2 $1 Bxf2+ {Looks tempting but the
following forced sequence ends up well for White.} 9. Qxf2 Qxb2 10. Kd2 Qxa1
11. Bb5 Qxh1 12. Qc5 Qxg2+ 13. Kc1 {White's threats are so strong that Black
is obligated to return all his extra material.} Nc6 14. Bxc6 Qxg5+ 15. Nxg5
bxc6 16. Qxc6 Rb8 17. Nxd5 {So far White has scored 9.5/10 from this position.}
O-O $2 {Now the game is essentially over.} (17... exd5 {is a must although
after} 18. e6 f6 19. Qd6 Rb6 20. exd7+ Bxd7 21. Qxd5 Rf8 22. Ne4 {White has
all the winning chances.}) 18. Ne7+ Kh8 19. Nxc8 Nxe5 20. Qe4 $1 f5 21. Qxe5
Rbxc8 22. Nxe6 Rf6 23. Nf4 {The rest is a matter of technique.} Rcf8 24. h4 Kg8
25. Qd5+ Kh8 26. h5 Re8 27. Qd7 Ref8 28. Ne6 Rxe6 (28... Rg8 {doesn't prevent}
29. Nxg7 $1 {in view of} Rxg7 30. Qd8+) 29. Qxe6 f4 30. Qe7 Kg8 31. Qxa7 f3 32.
Qf2 h6 33. a4 g5 34. hxg6 Kg7 35. a5 Kxg6 36. a6 Kg5 37. Qc5+ Rf5 38. Qf2 Kg4
39. a7 Rf8 40. Qd4+ Kh3 41. Qg7 1-0

[Event "2015 Calgary Invitational"]
[Site "Calgary"]
[Date "2015.11.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ng, Gary"]
[Black "Bakre, Tejas"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A38"]
[WhiteElo "2182"]
[BlackElo "2438"]
[PlyCount "200"]
[EventDate "2015.10.29"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. g3 d6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 g6 7. Bg2 Bd7 8. Nc2
Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. b3 a6 11. Bb2 Qa5 12. Nd5 Nxd5 13. Bxg7 Nc3 14. Bxc3 Qxc3
15. Ne3 Be6 16. Qc1 Qe5 17. Rd1 {White has obtained a fairly standard pleasant
position out of the English opening. At this point Black must decide where to
put his rooks.} Rfc8 {Apparently, intending a quick b7-b5.} ({As it often
happens, the computer advocates} 17... Rac8 $5 {instead.}) 18. Qd2 {A good
move provoking Black's next.} b5 $6 {Black must have underestimated the
opponent's reply.} 19. Rac1 {Now the pinned c6-knight creates tactical
problems.} Bd7 $2 {This makes the situation worse.} ({For example,} 19... bxc4
20. Nxc4 Bxc4 21. Rxc4 Na5 22. Re4 {and Black loses material.}) ({Unpinning
the knight by means of} 19... Rab8 {may be the lesser evil.}) 20. c5 $1 {
Natural and strong. Black is in serious trouble.} Rab8 21. cxd6 e6 $2 {A
desperate attempt to muddy the waters.} ({After} 21... exd6 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23.
Rxd6 {White's material and positional advantage in the endgame is decisive.})
22. Ng4 Qg7 23. Bxc6 {The simplest continuation clearing the way for the
passed pawn.} Rxc6 24. Rxc6 Bxc6 25. d7 Rd8 {The critical position of the game.
White has played with great energy so far and is very close to a win.} 26. Qa5
$2 {What a pity!} ({White just needed a slight finesse:} 26. Nh6+ $1 Kh8 {
, then} 27. Qa5 {wins on the spot.} {Black has nothing better than} Rxd7 28.
Qd8+ Rxd8 29. Rxd8+ Qf8 30. Rxf8+ Kg7 31. Rc8 {when White ends up being up a
whole rook.}) 26... Rxd7 27. Qd8+ Rxd8 28. Rxd8+ Qf8 29. Nf6+ Kg7 30. Rxf8 Kxf8
31. Nxh7+ {Now White is up a measly pawn but his misadventures are not over
yet.} Ke7 32. Ng5 f6 33. Nf3 Kd6 {The black king has become active, and White
faces difficult decisions.} 34. a3 {This doesn't prevent the king from
penetrating; now White is suddenly forced to play precisely to hold equality.}
({The computer recommends} 34. Ne1 Kc5 35. Nd3+ {which slows Black's
counterplay down.} {After} Kd4 36. h4 {the threat of quickly creating a passed
pawn on the kingside keeps White's winning hopes alive.}) 34... Kc5 35. Kf1 b4
36. a4 $2 {Unfortunately, the losing move.} ({Correct is} 36. axb4+ Kxb4 37.
Nd2 Bd5 38. h4 {which leads to almost the same queen endgame except that the
number of pawns is even:} a5 39. g4 Bxb3 40. Nxb3 Kxb3 41. h5 gxh5 42. gxh5 a4
43. h6 a3 44. h7 a2 45. h8=Q a1=Q+ {After} 46. Kg2 {a handshake is in order.})
36... Bxf3 $1 {GMs don't miss chances like this.} 37. exf3 Kd4 38. h4 Kc3 39.
g4 Kxb3 40. h5 gxh5 41. gxh5 Kxa4 42. h6 b3 43. h7 b2 44. h8=Q b1=Q+ 45. Kg2
Qg6+ 46. Kh2 a5 {The game lasted 100 moves but Black's extra pawn eventually
decided the outcome.} 47. Qb8 Qh5+ 48. Kg2 Qg5+ 49. Kh3 Qd5 50. Qf4+ Kb3 51.
Qe3+ Kc4 52. Qc1+ Kb5 53. Qb2+ Ka6 54. Qe2+ Kb6 55. Qe3+ Kc6 56. Qa3 Qb5 57.
Kg2 Qb4 58. Qe3 Qc4 59. Qh6 a4 60. Qxf6 a3 61. Qd8 a2 62. Qa8+ Kc5 63. Qa5+ Kc6
64. Qa8+ Kb5 65. Qb7+ Ka4 66. Qa7+ Kb3 67. Qe3+ Kc2 68. Qe5 Qa6 69. Qc5+ Kb3
70. Qe3+ Kb4 71. Qd4+ Qc4 72. Qb6+ Kc3 73. Qe3+ Kc2 74. Qe5 Qd5 75. Qe2+ Kb3
76. Qe3+ Kc4 77. Qc1+ Kb5 78. Qb2+ Kc6 79. Qc3+ Qc5 80. Qf6 Qc4 81. Qe5 Kb7 82.
Qb2+ Ka6 83. Qe5 Qd5 84. Qe2+ Ka7 85. Qb2 e5 86. Qa3+ Kb6 87. Qb4+ Kc7 88. Qe7+
Kc6 89. Qe8+ Kc5 90. Qe7+ Kb5 91. Qa3 Qg8+ 92. Kf1 Qc4+ 93. Kg2 Qc2 94. Qa7
Qg6+ 95. Kh2 Qa6 96. Qd7+ Kc4 97. Qc7+ Kd3 98. Qh7+ Kd2 99. Qd7+ Ke2 100. Qf5
a1=Q 0-1

[Event "2015 Edmonton Fall Sectional A"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2015.11.06"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Zeggelaar, Mike"]
[Black "Villavieja, Butch"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2069"]
[BlackElo "2172"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2015.11.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. f4 Nc6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Nf3 d5 7. e5 Ng4 8. Qd2
Nxe3 9. Qxe3 a6 10. a3 Bg4 11. Be2 e6 12. O-O Ne7 13. Nd2 h5 14. Nf3 Nf5 15.
Qd2 Qe7 16. Nd1 c5 17. c3 Bh6 18. Kh1 Rc8 19. b4 c4 20. Ra2 h4 21. Kg1 Qd8 22.
Ne1 Bxe2 23. Qxe2 g5 24. fxg5 Qxg5 25. Qf3 Rh7 26. Qh3 Kd7 27. Raf2 Kc7 28. Nf3
Qe7 29. Ne1 Rg8 30. Nc2 Qg5 31. Rf3 Rhg7 32. R3f2 Kb8 33. a4 Qg6 34. a5 {
In this complex position Black has strong initiative on the kingside. Instead,}
Bc1 $2 {gave the opponent a chance to exchange pieces and obtain a
satisfactory position.} ({and could have increased the pressure by means of} 
34... Qh5 $1 35. Nce3 Ng3 $1 36. Re1 (36. hxg3 Rxg3 37. Qh2 Rxe3 38. Nxe3 Bxe3
{is even worse}) 36... Ne4 {with various threats.}) 35. Nde3 Bxe3 36. Nxe3 Ng3
$2 {It is tempting for Black to open up the h-file and to create threats
against the enemy king. Objectively, however, this piece sacrifice is unsound.}
({There is nothing wrong with} 36... Nxe3 37. Qxe3 Qh7 {when the position is
equal.}) 37. hxg3 hxg3 38. Rf6 Qd3 39. R1f3 Rh7 ({Black was clearly not
satisfied with} 39... Qxc3 40. Nf5 Qd2 41. Nxg7 Qxd4+ 42. Kh1 Rxg7 43. Rxg3
Rxg3 44. Qxg3 {with a rook less} {although after} c3 {his passed pawns give
him practical chances.}) 40. Rh6 $2 {It's hard to award a question mark to
this natural move but it does give Black a chance to pick up a couple of pawns
and to get back into the game.} ({Actually, White had a great defensive
intermezzo} 40. Nf1 $3 {winning on the spot.} {After} Qb1 41. Rh6 {Black has
absolutely nothing to show for the piece.}) 40... Rgh8 $2 {Black is probably
still hoping to get something going along the h-file. Mistakes on move 40 are
understandable though as both players must have been very short of time.} ({
Correct is} 40... Rxh6 41. Qxh6 Qxc3 {and the battle begins anew. Black may be
able to pick up more pawns and his c4-passer is strong.}) 41. Ng4 $2 {On the
other hand, mistakes on move 41 are not so easily excusable.} ({After} 41. Rxh7
$1 Rxh7 42. Qxg3 {Black can resign as the c3-pawn is taboo because of a cheque
on g8.}) 41... Rxh6 42. Nxh6 Qd1+ 43. Rf1 Qd2 44. Qxg3 Qxh6 45. Rxf7 Qh1+ 46.
Kf2 Ka7 {Black took full advantage of the opponent's mistake on move 41.
White's extra pawn is insufficient to win because of his exposed king and a
weak c3-pawn.} 47. Qg5 Rh5 $2 {A grave error as White achieves an exchange of
rooks under favorable circumstances.} ({The computer indicates that Black has
a lot of moves maintaining equilibrium including} 47... Rb8) ({The most
curious line is} 47... Qa1 48. Rxb7+ Ka8 $1 {and White is somehow unable to
avoid a perpetual check.}) 48. Qe7 Rf5+ {Black correctly keeps the queens on
the board and hopes for a perpetual check.} (48... Qh4+ 49. Qxh4 Rxh4 50. Rf6 {
is completely lost.}) 49. Rxf5 exf5 50. Qc5+ Kb8 51. Qf8+ Ka7 52. Qxf5 Qd1 53.
Qf3 Qd2+ 54. Kg3 Qg5+ 55. Kh3 Qh6+ 56. Kg4 Qg6+ 57. Kf4 Qh6+ 58. Kf5 Qh7+ $2 {
The final mistake.} ({After} 58... Qf8+ {White's win is far from obvious.} 59.
Kg5 Qg7+ 60. Kh4 Qh6+ 61. Qh5 {looks like the best way to continue. However,
Black may be able to win a c3-pawn creating counterplay.}) 59. Kf6 {Now the
game is over.} Qh6+ 60. Ke7 Qg7+ 61. Qf7 Qxg2 62. Kd6 Qd2 63. Qxd5 Qxc3 64.
Qc5+ Ka8 65. Kc7 ({After} 65. Qc8+ Ka7 66. Kc7 {a checkmate in 1 is inevitable
but it doesn't matter.}) 65... Qf3 66. Qxc4 Qf8 67. Qe6 {An extremely tense
battle!} 1-0

[Event "2015 Edmonton Fall Sectional A"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2015.11.07"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Briones, Dante"]
[Black "Zeggelaar, Mike"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B74"]
[WhiteElo "1996"]
[BlackElo "2069"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "2015.11.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. f4 Bg7 7. Be2 O-O 8. Be3
Nc6 9. Nb3 a5 10. a4 Be6 11. O-O Bxb3 {This is possible but I'd rather keep
the bishop pair for the time being.} ({The most popular continuation} 11... Rc8
) 12. cxb3 Rc8 13. Qd2 ({The natural} 13. Bc4 {establishing control over the
light squares looks good for White.}) 13... Nb4 14. Rfd1 $2 {Hard to believe
but it's a serious mistake.} ({White should prefer} 14. Bf3 {reinforcing the
center.}) 14... Rxc3 $1 {Black is always on a lookout for this typical
exchange sacrifice in the Sicilian. In this case it turns out that the
sacrifice is only temporary.} 15. Qxc3 ({Even worse is} 15. bxc3 Nxe4 16. Qc1
Nxc3 {and Black wins material.}) 15... Nfd5 16. exd5 $2 {The queen sacrifice
is unsound.} ({White has to play} 16. Qd2 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Nc2 18. Qf3 Nxa1 19.
Rxa1 Bxb2 {He is down a pawn but the opposite color bishops give him decent
drawing chances.}) 16... Bxc3 17. bxc3 Nc2 {The rest of the game requires no
comments.} 18. Bd4 Nxa1 19. Rxa1 e5 20. fxe5 dxe5 21. Bc5 Qxd5 22. b4 Rc8 23.
Bb6 axb4 24. cxb4 Qd2 0-1

[Event "2015 Edmonton Invitational"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2015.11.09"]
[Round "6.2"]
[White "Gardner, Robert"]
[Black "Sevillano, Enrico"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A65"]
[WhiteElo "2160"]
[BlackElo "2464"]
[PlyCount "138"]
[EventDate "2015.11.06"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "9"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]
[WhiteClock "0:21:17"]
[BlackClock "0:04:21"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nge2 Bg7 8. Ng3
O-O 9. Be2 Na6 10. O-O Re8 11. f3 Nc7 12. Bg5 h6 13. Be3 Rb8 14. a4 a6 15. Qd2
Kh7 16. Rab1 b5 17. axb5 Nxb5 18. Nxb5 axb5 19. b4 c4 20. Bd4 h5 21. Ra1 h4 22.
Nh1 Bh6 23. Qb2 Nh5 24. Ra7 Kg8 25. Rfa1 Rb7 26. Rxb7 Bxb7 27. Ra5 Qd7 28. Nf2
f5 29. Bf6 $2 Rf8 $2 30. Bd4 Re8 31. Ra7 Ra8 32. Rxa8+ Bxa8 33. Qa3 Qe8 {
After a tense middlegame battle Black achieved a better position thanks to his
strong passed pawn. His problem is a passive light-squared bishop; with his
last move (33...Qe8) Black intends to take the d5-pawn and to bring the
problem bishop to life.} 34. Qa6 {White ignores the threat and tries to create
his own play.} Bxd5 35. Qxd6 Bf7 36. Bf1 $6 {With a threat of taking on f5 but
Black can easily parry it.} ({More natural is} 36. Bc3 {protecting the
important b4-pawn.}) 36... Bf8 {Black is tempted by the b4-pawn but the bishop
excursion gives White a sudden resource.} ({Instead,} 36... Bf4 $1 {deserves
serious attention.} {The idea is to exchange queens after} 37. Qb6 Qb8 $1 {
with a large advantage in the endgame.}) 37. Qb6 Bxb4 $2 {As planned.} ({
Nevertheless, correct is} 37... Qd7 {maintaining a firm grip on the position.})
38. exf5 gxf5 39. Qh6 $1 {Quite an unpleasant move to see right before the
time control.} Bg6 {There is nothing else.} 40. g4 $2 {White has the right
idea but the execution gives the opponent a crucial tempo to organize the
defence.} ({During the game both players either missed or underestimated} 40.
Nh3 $1 {but the strength of this move became obvious in the post-mortem
analysis.} {Black's best is} Bh7 $1 {while the other continuations are
unsatisfactory.} ({For example,} 40... Bf8 41. Qh8+ Kf7 42. Ng5+ Ke7 43. Qe5+
Kd7 44. Qxb5+ Kd6 45. Qc5+ Kd7 46. Qxc4 {and the black king is in big trouble.}
) {White can continue his attack with} 41. Nf4 $1 Qd7 42. Qg5+ Kf8 43. Ne2 {
with play for all three possible results.}) 40... hxg3 41. hxg3 Bf8 $1 {
The key defensive resource. The bishop is back, and White's attack is repelled.
} 42. Qh8+ Kf7 {Black is going to consolidate soon and GM Sevillano gradually
converted his advantage into a full point.} 43. Nh3 Be7 44. Qe5 Qd7 45. Bf2 Bf6
46. Qc5 Kg7 47. f4 Nxg3 48. Bg2 Ne4 49. Bxe4 fxe4 50. Ng5 c3 51. Kh2 Bf5 52.
Be3 Bg6 53. Kg3 Bf5 54. Kf2 Bh7 55. Kg3 Bg6 56. Kf2 Qf5 57. Qc7+ Kh6 58. Ke1
Kh5 59. Qc6 b4 60. Qc4 Qg4 61. Nxe4 Bxe4 62. Qxe4 Bh4+ 63. Kf1 Qd1+ 64. Kg2
Qe2+ 65. Kh1 Kg4 66. Qe6+ Kg3 67. Qg6+ Kf3 68. Bg1 Qe4 69. f5 Bg3 0-1

[Event "2015 WBX Team Tournament"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2015.12.12"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Villavieja, Butch"]
[Black "Nguyen, Kim"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B94"]
[WhiteElo "2179"]
[BlackElo "2100"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2015.12.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Qd2 h6 8.
Bh4 e6 9. Be2 Nc5 10. f3 b5 11. Bf2 Qc7 12. a3 Bd7 13. O-O Be7 14. Nb3 Na4 15.
Nxa4 bxa4 16. Nd4 O-O 17. b4 axb3 18. cxb3 e5 19. Nc2 Be6 20. Rfc1 Qb7 21. Bc4
d5 22. exd5 Bxd5 23. Nb4 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 Rfc8 25. Rac1 Rxc4 26. Rxc4 Rc8 27.
Rxc8+ Qxc8 {The position looks approximately equal. However, if turns out that
if Black manages to carry out e5-e4, he will be able to create threats against
the enemy king and to obtain winning chances.} 28. Qc2 $1 {White prevents
e5-e4 for the time being.} Qe6 29. Qc4 Qf5 {Correct.} (29... Bxb4 30. Qxb4 e4
31. fxe4 Nxe4 32. Be3 {is insufficient for advantage.}) 30. Qc2 {Same idea but
now Black has a strong reply.} (30. Qxa6 {doesn't win a pawn in view of} Qb1+
31. Qf1 Qxb3 {In fact, White is likely to lose the a3-pawn as well.}) 30... e4
$1 31. Nxa6 Qe5 {threatening checkmate} 32. Bc5 $2 {This natural attempt to
trade off pieces to lessen the opponent's attack doesn't work here.} ({The
computer advocates} 32. Qc8+ Kh7 33. Qc1 {preventing e4-e3.} {Nevertheless,
after} exf3 34. gxf3 Qf5 35. Qe3 Bxa3 {Black restores material equality and
can play on for a win.}) 32... e3 {A very tempting continuation but Black can
develop a lethal attack instead.} ({After} 32... exf3 $1 33. gxf3 Bxc5+ 34.
Nxc5 Qe1+ 35. Kg2 Nd5 {the queen+knight tandem turns out to be deadly.} {
For example,} 36. Qf2 Nf4+ 37. Kg3 Qe5 38. h4 Ne6+ {winning a piece.}) 33. Kf1
Bxc5 34. Qxc5 $2 {This turns out to be the decisive mistake.} ({Bringing the
knight back into play} 34. Nxc5 {is necessary.} {Certainly,} Qxh2 {looks
uncomfortable for White but he may be able to hold after} 35. Qc4 $1) 34... Nd5
$1 35. Qc8+ Kh7 36. Qc2+ g6 37. g3 Qf6 38. Qe2 Qd4 39. Nb4 Nc3 40. Qe1 e2+ {
This is enough for a win.} ({However,} 40... Qd2 $1 {would seal the deal
immediately.}) 41. Kg2 Qe3 42. Nc2 Qd3 43. Nb4 Qd1 44. Kf2 Qxb3 45. Nd3 Qxa3
46. Kg2 Qb3 {White cannot hold this position for long as Black has too many
various threats.} 47. h4 Qc2 48. Nf2 Nd1 49. Ng4 h5 50. Nf6+ Kg7 51. Ne4 f6 52.
Nd2 Qd3 53. Ne4 Qe3 54. Nd2 Nb2 0-1

[Event "2015 WBX Team Tournament"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2015.12.13"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Shevchenko, Oleksii"]
[Black "Kadavil, Suresh"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A47"]
[WhiteElo "1632"]
[BlackElo "1702"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2015.12.12"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. d4 b6 2. Nf3 Bb7 3. Bf4 e6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bd3 Ne4 6. Nbd2 f5 7. Ne5 g6 8. f3
Nxd2 9. Qxd2 d6 10. Nc4 b5 11. Na5 Ba6 12. a4 Qd7 13. axb5 Bxb5 14. Bxb5 Qxb5
15. Qc3 Qb6 16. Ra3 Qb5 17. Rb3 Qd7 18. O-O Bg7 19. Rb7 Na6 20. Qc4 O-O 21.
Qxa6 e5 22. Bg3 exd4 23. Bxd6 Qxd6 24. Qxd6 cxd6 25. exd4 Bxd4+ 26. Kh1 Rf7 27.
b3 Bc3 28. Rxf7 Kxf7 29. Nc4 Ke6 30. Rd1 d5 31. Na3 a6 32. Rd3 Rc8 33. Nb1 {
With his last move White attacked the opponent's bishop. In response, Black
suddenly offered a transition to a pawn endgame:} d4 $2 ({Instead, Black
should simply retreat the bishop:} 33... Be5 {with a nice endgame advantage.})
34. Nxc3 Rxc3 (34... dxc3 {is worse. After} 35. f4 {the black rook is tied up
to defence of the c3-pawn and White can improve at leisure.}) 35. Rxc3 dxc3 36.
Kg1 Kd5 37. Kf2 {The critical position of the endgame.} Kd4 $2 {Surprisingly,
the losing move.} (37... f4 $1 {is the only but a relatively easy way to draw.
After} 38. Ke2 Kd4 {White can't make progress.}) 38. g3 $2 {White gives the
opponent another chance.} ({Correct is} 38. f4 {clearing the key f3-square for
the king.} {Play may continue} h6 39. h4 Ke4 40. g3 Kd4 41. Kf3 {The black
king will have to retreat sooner or later:} a5 42. Ke2 Ke4 43. Kf2 Kd4 44. Kf3
h5 45. Ke2 Ke4 46. Kf2 Kd4 47. Kf3 Kc5 48. Ke3 {etc.}) 38... a5 $2 {Not that
pawn.} ({Correct is} 38... g5 {followed by f5-f4.}) 39. Ke2 $2 {One more
chance for Black.} ({Again,} 39. f4 {is the winning move.}) 39... g5 $1 40. h3
g4 $2 {Objectively, the losing move although Black could have played far more
tenaciously later.} (40... f4 41. g4 h6 $1 {is sufficient to draw as the white
king can't advance.}) 41. hxg4 fxg4 42. fxg4 Ke4 43. g5 Kd4 (43... Kf5 44. Kd3
Kxg5 45. Kxc3 Kg4 46. Kd4 Kxg3 {transposes to the line below.}) 44. Kf3 Kc5 {
Now White wins easily.} ({The best chance is} 44... Ke5 45. Ke3 Kf5 46. Kd3
Kxg5 47. Kxc3 Kg4 48. Kd4 Kxg3 49. c4 h5 50. c5 h4 51. c6 h3 52. c7 h2 53. c8=Q
h1=Q {This position looks like a draw but White has an amazing sequence
leading to a trade of queens and another winning pawn endgame:} 54. Qc7+ {
For example,} Kf2 55. Qc2+ Kg3 56. Qg6+ Kf4 57. Qd6+ Kg4 58. Qe6+ Kg3 59. Qe5+
Kg4 60. Qe4+ {etc.}) 45. Ke3 Kb5 46. Kd4 Kb4 47. Kd3 a4 48. bxa4 Kxa4 49. Kxc3
Kb5 50. Kd4 1-0

[Event "2016 Northern Alberta Open"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.02.28"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Findlay, Ian"]
[Black "Matras-Clement, Agnieszka"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C70"]
[WhiteElo "2275"]
[BlackElo "2327"]
[PlyCount "152"]
[EventDate "2016.02.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nge7 5. c3 g6 6. d4 exd4 7. Nxd4 b5 8. Bb3
Bg7 9. Be3 Na5 10. Bc2 Nc4 11. Bc1 O-O 12. O-O Bb7 13. Re1 d5 14. exd5 Nxd5 15.
Nd2 Nxd2 16. Bxd2 c5 17. Nf3 Qc7 18. Bg5 h6 19. Bh4 Rfe8 20. Qd2 Nb6 21. Bg3
Qc6 22. Rad1 Nc4 23. Qc1 Rad8 24. Bb3 Rxe1+ 25. Nxe1 Re8 26. Nf3 Re2 27. Bxc4
bxc4 28. Re1 Qe6 29. Kf1 Bxf3 30. gxf3 Rxe1+ 31. Qxe1 Qd5 32. Kg2 Bf6 33. Qe4
Qd2 34. Qc6 Kg7 35. Qxc5 Qxb2 36. Qxc4 a5 37. a4 Qxc3 38. Qxc3 Bxc3 39. Kf1 f5
40. Ke2 Kf6 {As in the previous example, the position looks completely drawish.
} 41. Kd3 ({The most reliable way to secure a draw is} 41. Bc7 Ke6 ({Black
gets in trouble after} 41... Be5 $2 42. Bxa5 Bxh2 43. Bd2 $1) 42. Kd3 Be1 43.
Kc4 Kd7 44. Bb6 Kc6 45. Bd4 {and neither side can make any progress.}) 41...
Be5 {Now White faces a rather difficult choice.} 42. Bxe5+ $2 {The losing move.
} (42. f4 {looks awful but is actually OK. For example,} Bd6 43. Kc4 Ke6 44.
Kb5 Bb4 45. f3 Kd5 46. Bf2 Bd2 47. h3 Bxf4 48. Kxa5 {and the passed pawn
guarantees White a draw.}) ({The only other way is} 42. Ke3 {which allows
White to establish control over the key f4-square and get the opposition in
the upcoming pawn endgame.} {After} Ke6 43. Bxe5 Kxe5 44. f4+ $1 Kd5 45. Kd3 g5
46. fxg5 hxg5 47. f3 Ke5 48. Ke3 {a draw is inevitable.}) 42... Kxe5 43. Kc4 {
White chooses the lesser evil but it's not enough to save the game.} ({It's
too late now for} 43. Ke3 f4+ 44. Kd3 Kd5 45. h3 g5 46. Kc3 Kc5 {followed by a
decisive penetration.}) 43... Kf4 44. Kb5 Kxf3 45. Kxa5 Kxf2 46. Kb4 f4 47. a5
f3 48. a6 Kg1 49. a7 f2 50. a8=Q f1=Q {After a forced sequence of moves it
turns out that White can't save his h-pawn.} 51. Qe4 g5 52. Qd4+ Kxh2 53. Qd2+
Kg3 54. Qe3+ Kh4 {Black eventually converted her two extra pawns into a full
point.} 55. Qe6 h5 56. Ka4 g4 57. Qe7+ Kh3 58. Qg5 h4 59. Qd5 g3 60. Qe6+ Kh2
61. Qe5 h3 62. Qd6 Qc4+ 63. Ka5 Qe4 64. Kb5 Qe2+ 65. Ka5 Kg2 66. Qd5+ Kg1 67.
Qc5+ Qf2 68. Qc1+ Kh2 69. Qc7 Kh1 70. Qc1+ Qg1 71. Qc3 Qa7+ 72. Kb5 Qd7+ 73.
Ka5 g2 74. Qf3 Qc7+ 75. Ka6 Kh2 76. Qe2 Qf4 0-1

[Event "2016 Northern Alberta Open"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.02.28"]
[Round "4.13"]
[White "Hughey, Leah"]
[Black "Briones, Dante"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "1715"]
[BlackElo "2012"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "2016.02.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. Bb5 $6 {The fact that White
scores less than 20% from here says everything about the quality of this
continuation.} (5. d4 {is a normal move.}) 5... Bg4 6. d4 cxd4 7. Bxc6+ Qxc6 8.
cxd4 Bxf3 9. gxf3 {Black is clearly better due to the opponent's terrible pawn
structure.} O-O-O $2 {However, after this overly optimistic move the pawn
structure becomes irrelevant.} ({Correct is} 9... e6 10. Nc3 Nf6 {with play
against White's weaknesses.}) 10. Bf4 $1 {Black is going to have problems
along the c-file and his next move only makes things worse.} Qb6 $2 ({Instead,
} 10... Qe6+ $5 11. Kf1 Qh3+ 12. Kg1 e5 13. Bxe5 Bd6 {with an unclear position.
}) 11. Nd2 $1 Rd7 12. Rc1+ Kd8 13. Qc2 (13. O-O $5 {increasing the lead in
development looks good.}) 13... e6 ({Black misses} 13... Qc6 $1 {with a chance
to either get the queens off the board or slow the attack down.}) 14. Qc8+ {
Now White's attack is irresistible.} Ke7 15. Rc7 Rxc7 16. Bxc7 Qxd4 17. Nc4 $1
Nh6 18. Bd6+ Kf6 19. Be5+ $4 {What a pity! This natural move turns out to be a
blunder.} ({Correct is} 19. Qd8+ Kf5 20. Ne3+ Kg6 21. Rg1+ {and Black can
resign.}) 19... Qxe5+ 20. Nxe5 Bb4+ {Unfortunately, Black gets his queen back
with interest.} 21. Qc3 Bxc3+ 22. bxc3 Kxe5 0-1

[Event "2016 Northern Alberta Open"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.02.28"]
[Round "5.1"]
[White "Matras-Clement, Agnieszka"]
[Black "Valencia, Belsar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B46"]
[WhiteElo "2309"]
[BlackElo "2358"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2016.02.27"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 Qc7 {The game begins as a
classical Sicilian Kan.} 6. Bd3 Nc6 {Now Black transposes to the Taimanov.} (
6... Nf6 {remains on Kan territory.}) 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. O-O Nf6 9. Qe2 d6 10. f4
Be7 11. Kh1 {This standard prophylaxis looks too slow here.} ({Immediate} 11.
e5 $5 {deserves serious attention.} {For example,} Nd5 12. exd6 Bxd6 13. Ne4 {
with initiative. In this line White is ready to sacrifice the f4-pawn to speed
up development.}) 11... d5 12. f5 {After this novelty Black obtains a
comfortable position in the center.} ({Instead,} 12. b3 $5 O-O 13. Bb2 {
maintains the central tension for the time being.}) 12... e5 13. Bd2 Bb7 14.
Rae1 d4 {Black has equalized.} 15. Na4 c5 16. b3 c4 $1 {An excellent resource
preventing the enemy knight from occupying the c4-square.} 17. Bxc4 ({The
other capture} 17. bxc4 {is better but after} Bc6 18. Nb2 Rb8 19. Nd1 O-O {
Black has full compensation for the pawn.}) 17... Nxe4 18. Bc1 Bd6 $2 {This
should have cost Black a pawn.} (18... Bf6 {looks dangerous} {because of} 19.
Ba3 {preventing short castling.}) ({Instead, the computer recommends} 18... Qc6
$5 {eyeing the g2-pawn.}) 19. Bd3 $2 ({After} 19. Qg4 {Black has nothing
better than} Nf6 {White can safely grab a pawn} 20. Qxd4 {with advantage.})
19... Nf6 {Now the game returns to normal.} 20. Bg5 O-O 21. Bxf6 gxf6 22. Nb2 (
{Here was a good opportunity to get rid of the backward c2-pawn by means of} 
22. c3 $1 {It looks like a pawn sacrifice but it's a temporary one: if} dxc3 {
then} 23. Rc1 {and} Bb4 $4 {is impossible in view of} 24. Qg4+ {The importance
of this will become clear towards the end of the game.}) 22... Kh8 23. Be4 Rg8
24. Nc4 Bxe4 25. Qxe4 Bb4 26. Re2 Rac8 27. Rf3 Bf8 28. Qh4 Qc6 29. Rh3 h6 {
White's position may look formidable but she doesn't really have tangible
threats.} 30. Re4 ({The computer advocates} 30. Na5 Qd6 31. Nc4 {offering a
repetition of moves but I am sure that White wasn't even thinking about it.})
30... Rg5 31. Rg4 Kg8 32. Rhg3 Bg7 {Black's fortress on the dark squares is
unbreakable.} 33. h3 Re8 34. Kh2 $2 ({Once again, it was necessary to split
the opponent's central pawn duo by means of} 34. c3 $1) 34... Kf8 $2 {One
defensive move too many.} ({Black had a chance to play} 34... e4 $1 {making
White's position critical. The e-pawn is hard to stop.}) {The critical point
of the game.} 35. Nd2 $2 {White's desire to bring the knight to the attack is
understandable but the price paid is too high.} ({Again, correct is} 35. c3 $1
dxc3 36. Rxc3 {when White's position may actually be slightly better. Here}
Rxf5 $4 {is impossible because of} 37. Ne3 Qxc3 38. Nxf5 {and wins.}) 35...
Qxc2 $1 {Black correctly evaluates the position reached after the following
sequence.} 36. Ne4 {White must have counted on this resource but Black can
simply sacrifice an exchange.} Ke7 $1 37. Nxg5 fxg5 38. Qh5 Qxf5 {The passed
pawns will soon prove to be unstoppable.} 39. h4 Qg6 40. Qxg6 fxg6 41. hxg5 h5
42. Re4 Kd6 43. Rf3 Kd5 44. Re1 e4 45. Rf7 Be5+ 46. Kg1 e3 47. Kf1 Ke4 48. Rf3
Rc8 49. a3 Bf4 0-1

[Event "2016 Alberta Championship"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.03.25"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Haessel, Dale"]
[Black "Ng, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2212"]
[BlackElo "2228"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "2016.03.25"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 {It seems that Black has
simply lost a tempo but the point of his play will be revealed soon.} 6. Nc3 c5
{That's the point.} 7. e4 ({Now a generally desirable} 7. d5 {implies a pawn
sacrifice as the white queen no longer controls the d5-square.}) 7... cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Bc5 9. Nf3 ({This position occurred many times in practice;} 9. Nb3 {
looks like the only try for an opening advantage.}) 9... Nc6 ({Here Black
could have tried} 9... Ng4 $5 10. h3 Nxf2 11. Rh2 f5 12. b4 Nxe4 13. bxc5 O-O {
with a highly unbalanced and an unclear position.}) 10. Bd3 Qb8 11. O-O Ng4 {
Black unambiguously signals his intention to attack on the kingside and sets
up a small trap in the meantime. He has won the opening battle.} 12. Ne2 {
White sensibly covers the d4-square.} ({Certainly not} 12. h3 $2 Nd4 {winning
on the spot.}) 12... Nce5 13. Nxe5 Qxe5 14. Bf4 Qf6 15. Bg3 h5 16. h4 g5 $1 {
Logical and strong. Black seizes the initiative and opens up lines for his
attack.} 17. hxg5 Qxg5 18. b4 Be7 {Positional considerations may now be thrown
out of the window. The situation on the board is such that it is very hard to
figure out what's going on and what each opponent should be doing. I'll simply
state that Black's attack is quite dangerous; White will try to create
counterplay against the enemy king with his next few moves.} 19. c5 bxc5 20.
bxc5 e5 ({A useful move taking the f4-square under control. Now Black is ready
to push the h-pawn. However,} 20... Bc6 $5 {preventing White's next may be
stronger.}) 21. Bb5 Rc8 {A good practical decision.} (21... h4 {leads to some
wacky variations after} 22. Bxd7+ Kxd7 23. Qa4+ Ke6 24. f4 $1 {A sample line is
} Bxc5+ 25. Bf2 Bxf2+ 26. Rxf2 Qe7 27. fxe5 Nxf2 28. Qb3+ Kxe5 29. Qb2+ Kd6 30.
Qd4+ Kc7 31. Rc1+ Bc6 32. Nc3 Rhd8 33. Nd5+ Rxd5 34. exd5 Ne4 35. Rxc6+ Kd7 36.
Qa4 Kd8 37. Qd4 Nd6 38. Rxd6+ Qxd6 39. Qh8+ Ke7 40. Qxa8 {resulting in an
equal queen endgame.}) 22. Rfd1 Bc6 23. Qd3 Nf6 24. Bxc6 Rxc6 25. Rab1 O-O $1 {
It's time to get the king to safety; Black will soon pick up the c5-pawn and
will continue his own attack.} 26. Rb7 $2 {This is overly optimistic and leads
to a quick catastrophe.} ({Correct is} 26. f3 $1 Bxc5+ 27. Bf2 {defending
against immediate threats.}) 26... h4 27. Bh2 Bxc5 {White is defenceless
against a multitude of the opponent's threats.} 28. Nc3 Bxf2+ {The outcome of
the game is decided.} 29. Kf1 ({Or} 29. Kxf2 Rxc3 {etc.}) 29... Ng4 30. Nd5 Bc5
31. Bg1 f5 32. Ke2 Bxg1 33. Rxd7 (33. Rxg1 {leads to a quick checkmate after}
fxe4 34. Qxe4 Rf2+) 33... Bc5 {Black is simply up a piece; White could have
resigned at this point.} 34. Qb3 Kh8 35. Qb7 Rh6 36. Rf7 Rxf7 37. Qxf7 Qh5 38.
Qxf5 Qxf5 39. exf5 Bxa3 40. Rb1 Ra6 41. Rh1 Rh6 42. Rb1 Rd6 43. Nc3 Rd7 44. Ne4
Be7 45. Kf3 Nf6 46. Ng5 Rd3+ 47. Ke2 Rg3 48. Nf7+ Kg7 49. Nxe5 Rxg2+ 50. Kf1
Rg5 0-1

[Event "2016 Alberta Championship"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.03.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ng, Gary"]
[Black "Banerjee, Bitan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E68"]
[WhiteElo "2228"]
[BlackElo "2320"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2016.03.25"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4
exd4 9. Nxd4 Nc5 10. Re1 Re8 11. h3 {So far the game has followed a well
trodden path; Black's next waiting move is less common though.} h6 12. Rb1 ({
White can try to exploit the slowness of the opponent's approach by} 12. Nb3 $5
) 12... a5 13. Bf4 ({Here} 13. Ndb5 $5 {preventing c7-c6 deserves attention.})
13... Bd7 14. Kh2 a4 15. Ndb5 h5 {An idea tested in Moradiabadi-Ganguly, 2011.}
16. Qc2 ({The aforementioned game continued} 16. Qd2 {which turned out to be
better for White.}) 16... h4 17. g4 Bc6 18. Rbd1 g5 19. Bc1 {Correct.} (19.
Bxg5 {looks unnecessarily risky:} Nxg4+ 20. hxg4 Qxg5 21. Nxc7 Qxg4 {with a
messy position.}) 19... Bxb5 {Black voluntarily parts with the bishop pair
which cannot be recommended.} ({There is nothing wrong with} 19... Nfd7 {
intending to occupy the e5-square with one of the minor pieces.} {Here} 20. Nd5
{may be answered by} Ne6) 20. Nxb5 Nh7 {Black anticipates the opening of the
f-file after which this knight may occupy an excellent g5-square.} 21. Nd4 {
Surprisingly, the knight jump to f5 doesn't give White much; this is probably
the point where he should look for improvement.} ({Another plan is} 21. f4 gxf4
22. Bxf4 Be5 23. Rf1 {intending to create pressure along the f-file.} {However,
after} Ng5 24. Kh1 Bxf4 25. Rxf4 Re5 26. Rdf1 Qe7 27. Nc3 c6 {White doesn't
have a clear way of strengthening his position further.}) 21... Be5+ 22. Kg1
Qf6 23. Nf5 Nf8 24. b4 axb3 25. axb3 Nce6 {As a result, the knight looks good
on f5 but it doesn't cooperate well with the rest of the white army.} 26. Be3
Nd7 27. Rb1 Ra3 28. b4 b6 29. Qc1 {White doesn't have an obvious plan and
Black begins taking over.} Ra2 30. Bf1 Rea8 31. c5 {Correct. White should try
to mix things up.} bxc5 32. Bb5 Ra1 33. Qc2 ({Certainly not} 33. Bxd7 $2 Rxb1
34. Qxb1 Ra1 {and wins.}) 33... R8a2 34. Qd3 Nb6 ({With the benefit of
hindsight, Black would have preferred} 34... Ra3 35. Qf1 Rxb1 {keeping a pair
of rooks on the board.}) 35. Rxa1 Rxa1 36. Rxa1 Bxa1 37. bxc5 dxc5 {The exit
of all four rooks has brought White some relief. He may be able to hold
despite a small material deficit.} 38. Bc4 {As I have said before, parting
with the bishop pair voluntarily cannot be recommended.} ({Understandably
though, White did not want to resort to waiting moves like} 38. Bd2 {advocated
by the computer.}) 38... Nxc4 39. Qxc4 Bd4 40. Bd2 {Correct.} (40. Nxd4 $2 cxd4
{is completely lost.}) 40... Ng7 {This is too committal for a move right
before the time control.} ({Instead, Black can play something neutral like} 
40... Qe5 {, get an extra 30 minutes on the clock and then think about the
position thoroughly.}) 41. Nxd4 cxd4 {As a result, Black immediately parts
with his extra pawn for nothing.} (41... Qxd4 {is an interesting try for a win:
after} 42. Qxd4 cxd4 43. Bxg5 Ne6 {White regains his pawn at a cost of giving
the opponent two dangerous connected passers. Given the tournament situation,
however, Black may have judged this continuation to be unnecessarily risky.})
42. Qxc7 Ne6 43. Qc8+ {A curious moment.} ({The computer gives} 43. Qb8+ Kg7
44. Qb5 {as being completely equal.}) (43. Qc8+ {After the text move, however,}
Kg7 44. Kg2 {(to cover the f3-square)} Qe5 45. Qc6 Nc5 {wins the e4-pawn.} {
The computer then asserts that} 46. Qb5 Qxe4+ 47. Kg1 {saves White half a
point in all the lines but proving it over the board would have been far from
easy. In any case, a draw was agreed immediately.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "2016 Alberta Championship"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.03.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Banerjee, Bitan"]
[Black "Haessel, Dale"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D91"]
[WhiteElo "2320"]
[BlackElo "2212"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2016.03.25"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. Bh4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 {
Overall, the whole line looks pretty good for White, and the current game
doesn't change this assessment.} (7... dxc4 {is a superior alternative from
both the computer and the database perspective.}) 8. cxd5 Qxd5 9. e3 cxd4 10.
cxd4 Nc6 11. Be2 e5 {Striving for an endgame but White's advantage persists.}
12. dxe5 Qa5+ 13. Qd2 Qxd2+ 14. Kxd2 O-O 15. Rab1 Nxe5 16. Nd4 Nd7 {This move
was once played by GM Alexei Shirov but it doesn't change the character of the
position. Black is behind in development, while White has strong queenside
pressure and an easy game.} 17. Bf3 Nb6 18. Rhc1 f5 19. a4 $1 Nxa4 20. Rb4 $6 {
Too slow.} ({Instead, after} 20. Bd5+ Kh8 21. Be7 Re8 22. Rc7 {Black is
paralyzed.} {If} Nb6 {then} 23. Bf7 {and White wins an exchange.} Be5 {doesn't
help in view of} 24. Nf3 $1 {and the white rook is taboo because of a
checkmate in one.}) 20... Nb6 21. Ra1 {White has created an obvious threat but
it can be parried.} Bf6 22. Bg3 Nd7 ({The computer advocates} 22... Bd8 $5 {
with an idea to push the a-pawn under favorable circumstances.}) 23. Bd6 Rd8
24. Bd5+ Kh8 25. Bxb7 {It's time for White to restore material equality
although Black is happy to exchange his passive light-squared bishop.} Bxb7 26.
Rxb7 Ne5 27. Bxe5 {And here White has decided to offer a draw to secure the
title.} ({Under different tournament circumstances White would have tried} 27.
Bc7 Rd5 28. Ra6 Nd7 29. Rd6 Rxd6 30. Bxd6 {with chances to win the a-pawn and
to play for a win with no risk.}) (27. Bxe5 {Indeed, after} Bxe5 28. Raxa7 Rxa7
29. Rxa7 Bxd4 30. exd4 Rxd4+ {there is nothing to play for.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "2016 Alberta Reserves"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.03.26"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Usselman, Paul"]
[Black "Zeggelaar, Mike"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E90"]
[WhiteElo "1880"]
[BlackElo "2084"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2016.03.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. h3 c5 7. d5 Na6 8. Bd3 Nc7
9. Be3 Rb8 10. Nd2 e6 11. Qc2 exd5 12. exd5 Nd7 13. O-O Ne5 14. Be2 Bf5 15.
Nde4 Re8 16. g4 Bxe4 17. Qxe4 Nc6 18. Qd3 Nd4 19. Rfe1 Qh4 20. Kg2 b5 21. cxb5
Ncxb5 22. Nxb5 Nxb5 23. Bf4 Nd4 24. Bxd6 Rxb2 25. Bg3 Nxe2 26. Rxe2 Rexe2 27.
Bxh4 Rbd2 28. Qb1 Bb2 29. a4 c4 30. Ra2 c3 31. Rxb2 cxb2 32. Kf3 Rc2 33. Qd1 {
This game has featured numerous twists and turns with the computer evaluation
swinging on almost every move. In the diagrammed position Black opted for a
natural} Rc1 {that quickly led to a perpetual check.} ({However, it was
discovered in the post-mortem that Black had a tremendous resource} 33... Re3+
$3 {with an idea to block the e-file.} {After} 34. fxe3 Rc1 35. Qb3 b1=Q 36.
Qxb1 Rxb1 {the game is far from being over but Black's material advantage
gives him good winning chances.}) 34. Qxe2 b1=Q 35. Qe8+ Kg7 36. Qe5+ Kg8 37.
Qe8+ Kg7 1/2-1/2

[Event "2016 Alberta Reserves"]
[Site "Edmonton"]
[Date "2016.03.27"]
[Round "5.3"]
[White "Briones, Dante"]
[Black "Dave, Bhavik"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C38"]
[WhiteElo "1999"]
[BlackElo "1859"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2016.03.26"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. d4 Bg7 5. Bc4 Nc6 6. c3 h6 7. O-O Nge7 {
So far both the computer evaluation and the statistics favor Black heavily.} 8.
g3 g4 {A tempting move but White has a strong reply.} ({Instead,} 8... Na5 $5 {
deserves attention.}) 9. Nh4 f3 10. Nxf3 $1 {Such piece sacrifices are a
common theme in the King's gambit.} gxf3 11. Bxf7+ {Another spectacular
sacrifice that guarantees White at least a draw.} ({Nevertheless, more
interesting is} 11. Qxf3 O-O 12. Bxf7+ Kh8 13. Bg5 $1 {The key move that keeps
the position complicated, with all three results being possible.}) 11... Kxf7
12. Qxf3+ Kg8 13. Qf7+ Kh7 14. Rf6 {White is threatening a checkmate in one;
Black has the only but sufficient defence:} Nf5 15. Qg6+ Kg8 16. Qf7+ Kh7 17.
Qg6+ Kg8 18. Rxf5 $6 {Objectively, White should accept a draw by perpetual but
he understandably wants more.} d6 $2 {The decisive mistake although it's hard
to criticize Black for not finding the right move.} (18... Qe7 $1 {covers f7
and gives Black time to organize his defence.} {For example,} 19. Be3 d6 20.
Rf4 Bd7 21. Nd2 Qe8 $1 {with an unavoidable exchange of queens.}) 19. Qf7+ Kh7
20. Rh5 $1 {The threat of Rxh6 is lethal, and Black is forced to part with his
queen.} Qf6 21. Rxh6+ $1 Qxh6 22. Bxh6 Kxh6 {Material is almost even but the
exposed position of the black king gives White a winning advantage.} 23. Qxc7
Bf8 24. Qf7 Be7 25. Nd2 Rf8 26. Qd5 Bh3 {Now White just needs to put his
knight to e3.} 27. Nf1 ({A better way to do it is} 27. Nc4 $5 {attacking the
d6-pawn in the meantime.} {After} Rad8 28. Ne3 {the knight's jump to f5 is
going to be very unpleasant for Black.}) 27... Rf3 28. Nd2 Rf6 {Now White
faces some difficulties but finds a creative way to overcome them.} 29. g4 Bxg4
30. Nf1 Raf8 31. Ng3 Bf3 32. Qb5 Rg8 $2 ({More tenacious is} 32... R6f7 {
defending the b7-pawn indirectly.} {Here} 33. Qxb7 $2 {runs into} Bg5 {winning
the white queen in all the lines. For example,} 34. Qb3 Be3+ 35. Kf1 Bd1+ {etc.
}) 33. Rf1 $1 Rgf8 (33... Bxe4 $2 {loses more material in view of} 34. Rxf6+
Bxf6 35. Qh5+ Kg7 36. Nxe4 {etc.}) 34. Qxb7 {White's material advantage
becomes overwhelming.} Na5 35. Qxe7 Nc4 36. Nf5+ Kg5 37. Rxf3 1-0

[Event "2016 Lethbridge Open"]
[Site "Lethbridge"]
[Date "2016.04.02"]
[Round "1.4"]
[White "Robertson, Trevor"]
[Black "Panteluk, Steven"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "1567"]
[BlackElo "1868"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2016.04.02"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. e3 b6 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Qb3
Bb7 9. Bd2 c6 10. Nxd5 cxd5 11. Bd3 Nd7 12. Bb4 Nf6 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. O-O Ne4
15. Rac1 f5 16. Rc2 Rf6 17. Rfc1 Qd8 18. Ne5 f4 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Rc7 Rc8 21.
Rxc8 Bxc8 22. Qc2 Bb7 23. Qc7 Qxc7 24. Rxc7 fxe3 25. fxe3 Ba6 26. Nc4 Rf8 27.
b3 Rc8 28. Rxc8+ Bxc8 29. Nd6 Ba6 30. Nxe4 Kf8 31. Ng5 Ke7 32. Nxh7 Bd3 33. Ng5
a5 34. Nf3 b5 35. Ne5 Bb1 36. a3 Kd6 37. b4 a4 38. Kf2 Kd5 39. h4 Ke4 40. g4
Bc2 41. h5 Bd1 {The most interesting endgame of the tournament.} {It looks
like White should win easily but the remainder of the game will feature some
unexpected twists and turns.} 42. Nf7 {This should be sufficient for a full
point.} Kd5 ({After} 42... Bxg4 43. Nd6+ Kd3 44. Nxb5 {the b-pawn becomes
dangerous.}) 43. h6 {This is still OK but now White must play precisely.} ({
A simpler approach is to improve the king} 43. Kg3 {since} Kc4 $2 {is met by}
44. Nd6+ Kb3 45. Nxb5) 43... gxh6 44. Nxh6 Kc4 45. Ke1 Bc2 (45... Bf3 $5 {
is a better practical chance since after} 46. Kd2 Kb3 47. g5 Bh5 {White has to
find} 48. Nf5 $3 {with the idea} exf5 49. d5 Be8 50. d6 Kxa3 51. g6 {etc.}) 46.
Kd2 Kb3 47. d5 {Perhaps, a little early.} ({A better way to win the b5-pawn is
} 47. Nf7 Bh7 48. Nd6 Kxa3 49. Kc3 Ka2 50. Nxb5) 47... exd5 48. Nf5 Be4 49.
Nd4+ Kxa3 50. Kc3 $1 Ka2 51. Nxb5 a3 {The critical moment of the endgame.} 52.
Nxa3 $2 ({The only winning move is} 52. g5 {although it's not so hard to find.}
{Since Black has nothing better than a waiting move like} Bf5 {White gains a
crucial tempo. Now} 53. Nxa3 Kxa3 54. b5 Ka4 55. b6 {wins easily.}) 52... Kxa3
53. b5 Ka4 54. b6 Ka5 $2 {The last mistake in this endgame.} ({Correct is} 
54... Kb5 $1 55. b7 d4+ 56. Kxd4 Bxb7 {In this line the black king is closer
to the passed pawns, which turns out to be sufficient for a draw. For example,}
57. g5 Kc6 58. g6 Kd6 59. g7 Bd5 {and a handshake is in order.}) 55. b7 d4+ 56.
Kxd4 Bxb7 57. g5 {Now the pawns are unstoppable.} Bc6 58. g6 Be8 59. g7 Bf7 60.
Kc5 Ka6 61. Kc6 Be8+ 62. Kd6 Bf7 63. e4 Kb7 64. Kd7 Kb6 65. e5 Kc5 66. e6 Bg8
67. e7 Kd5 68. e8=Q 1-0

[Event "2016 Alberta Seniors"]
[Site "Calgary"]
[Date "2016.04.24"]
[Round "4.1"]
[White "Findlay, Ian"]
[Black "Peter, Steven"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B82"]
[WhiteElo "2293"]
[BlackElo "2229"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2016.04.23"]
[EventType "swiss"]
[EventRounds "5"]
[EventCountry "CAN"]
[SourceDate "2016.04.20"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. f4 a6 7. Qf3 Qc7 8. Be3
b5 9. Bd3 Bb7 10. g4 b4 11. Nce2 d5 12. e5 Nfd7 ({More to the point is} 12...
Ne4 $5 {utilizing Black's previous move.}) 13. O-O-O Nc6 14. Nxc6 ({In such
positions} 14. Kb1 {is played almost automatically. White tries a different
move order that works out well for him due to the opponent's inaccurate reply.}
) 14... Qxc6 $6 {This recapture is the root of all subsequent Black's problems.
} ({Correct is} 14... Bxc6 {intending to meet} 15. Nd4 {with} Bb5 $1 {White
should refrain from opening up the a-file and spend a move on prophylaxis:} 16.
Kb1 {Then after} Bc5 {Black achieves a satisfactory position.}) 15. Nd4 Qc7 16.
Kb1 {Now White is up two tempi in comparison with the line above. The
significance of this factor will be demonstrated shortly.} Rc8 17. h4 (17. Rhf1
$5 {preparing a quick f4-f5 looks even stronger.} {After} Bc5 {White can play}
18. Qh3 {preventing the opponent from castling.}) 17... Bc5 18. h5 O-O {
This doesn't look right but it's not easy to find a good move for Black.} 19.
g5 Bxd4 20. Bxd4 Nc5 {Black is hoping to exchange a few pieces but White's
attack is already irresistable. A major reason is the difference between the
light-squared bishops. Because of the loss of time on moves 14-15 Black is
unable to trade the bishops off.} 21. Bxc5 $1 Qxc5 22. f5 Qc7 23. Qf4 exf5 ({
Also hopeless is} 23... g6 24. fxg6 fxg6 25. Qg4) 24. Qxf5 g6 25. Qh3 d4 26.
Rh2 Qe7 27. hxg6 fxg6 28. Bxg6 1-0

