[Event "23rd Metropolitan Chess Qualifier"]
[Site "Los Angeles, CA"]
[Date "2012.10.12"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Michael Cooper"]
[Black "Simone Sobel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2068"]
[BlackElo "1960"]
[Opening "French: advance variation"]
[ECO "C02"]
[NIC "FR.03"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Nc6 5. Be3 {The unusual, but apparently sound Kupreichik Variation. Black can avoid it, if she wishes, by playing 4... Qb6, but this option is not available to players of the line 4... Nc6 5. Nf3 Bd7. There are only 1400 games with 5. Be3!? in the MegaBase, as opposed to 37k games with 5. Nf3.} Qb6 6. Qd2 Nh6 {I think Black should play 6... Bd7 here or on the next move.} 7. Nf3 Nf5 8. Bd3 {Now Black has a dilemma. If 8... Nxe3 right away, then ...cxd4 becomes unappealing due to exd4, and ...c5-c4 does not work so well with White's a-pawn still at home, as the b2-b3 break is easy to achieve. And the immediate 8... cxd4 allows White's knight to develop happily on c3. This could have been avoided with, for example, 7... Bd7. Then, to develop the light-squared bishop immediately, White would have to play either the less active 8. Be2, or 8. Bd3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Nb4 10. Be2 Nf5 and Black equalizes. The alternative is the double-edged 8 Bxh6!? which is unclear.} cxd4 9. cxd4 Nxe3 10. fxe3 Be7 {10... Nb4 11. O-O!? Nxd3 12. Qxd3 Bd7 (12... Qxb2? 13. Nc3 gives good compensation, but not 13. Ng5? Be7! 14. Nxf7?? O-O) 13. Nc3 and Black has the two bishops and is fairly solid, while White has a slight lead in development, and potential play on the open files and against a natural target on f7. I'd call the position dynamically equal.} 11. Nc3 {Preparing to drop the bishop back to b1, so that it can stay on its nice diagonal, but also so that the queen can potentially be at the front of a battery aimed at h7 after Black castles. There is, of course, no rush for White to castle. And if Black castles quickly, the white rook can be a useful attacking piece on h1.} Bd7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. O-O O-O 14. h4 {Trying to soften up the Black kingside before Bb1 and Qd3. Black doesn't anticipate White's plan, and plays right into his hands.} h6 {This makes Black's kingside light squares dangerously weak. One possible superior defense is 14... Nb4 15. Bb1 f5 16. exf6 Rxf6 17. a3 Nc6 18. Qd3 g6 19. b4 Rcf8 20. h5 Be8.} 15. h5 Na5 {After this move, Black is already lost. 15... f5 is just about forced, although White gets a favorable version of the previous note.} 16. Bb1 Be8 {16... f5 is the best defense, but 17. exf6 gxf6 (recapturing with a piece allows 18. Qd3 which is too strong) 18. e4! dxe4 19. Qxh6! only gives White any fun. The text supports g7-g6, but now the rook on c8 is undefended, allowing a simple tactic.} 17. Nxd5 exd5 18. Rxc8 Nc6 19. Qd3 g6 20. hxg6 f5 {20... fxg6 21. Rxe8.} 21. exf6 Bxf6 22. g7 {22... Bxg7 23. Qh7+ Kf7 Ne5+.} 1-0
