(1) Julio Sadorra,2495 - Loek Van Wely,2683 [E76]
US Open 2011
[Annotator: J. Sadorra]

My favorite game in the 2011 US Open is my game against a well established European super-GM. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f4 0-0 6.Nf3 Na6 7.Bd3 e5 8.fxe5 dxe5 9.d5 c6 10.0-0 Nc5 11.Be3 Qa5!? 12.Bc2 [12.h3 Nh5 ; 12.Kh1 cxd5 13.cxd5 Nxd3 14.Qxd3 b6 15.Rfc1 Ba6<=> and Black would have good counterplay.] 12...Ng4 13.Bd2 cxd5 14.cxd5 Qb6 15.Kh1 Bd7? [15...f5 16.exf5 gxf5 17.h3 (17.Ng5 ) 17...Nf6 18.Nh4 and White would have better chances due to Black's weak pawns and under-development.] 16.h3 Nf6 17.b4! Qxb4 18.Na4 Qa3 [sacrificing the queen here would have also been interesting. 18...Qxa4!? 19.Bxa4 Bxa4 20.Qe1 Bb5© ] 19.Bc1 Qxa4 20.Bxa4 Bxa4 21.Qe1 Bb5 22.Ba3 Nfxe4 23.Nd2! Nxd2 24.Qxd2 b6 25.Rfc1 e4 26.Bb2 Bxb2 27.Qxb2 Bd3 28.a4 Rab8 29.Ra3 [29.h4!? ] 29...a5?! this creates weakness in Black's camp making it easier for me to increase my advantage. Still, the position is not without technical challenges to play as White. 30.Qd4 Rfe8 31.Rac3 Rbd8 32.Kh2 Rd6 33.Rxc5 [33.h4!? ] 33...bxc5 34.Rxc5 Rd7 35.Qc3 [35.d6! e3 36.Qxd3 e2 37.Rc1 e1Q 38.Rxe1 Rxe1 39.Qb5 Rd8 40.Qxa5 Ree8 41.Qc7 Ra8 42.d7 Red8 43.a5 Kf8 44.Qd6+ Kg8 45.Qe7 h5 46.Kg3+- and White is winning because Black rooks are paralyzed while White can slowly include his king in the attack, either q-side or k-side.] 35...Ba6 36.Qxa5 Bd3 37.Qc3 Ba6 38.Qa5 [38.Rc7 Rxc7 39.Qxc7 e3 40.Qc6 Kf8!= ] 38...Bd3 39.Qc3 Ba6 40.Qe3! decided to "play it safe" before the next time-control. [40.Rc6 e3! 41.Rxa6 e2 42.Qe1 Rxd5 ; 40.Qf6 Bb7 (40...e3 41.Qxa6 e2 42.Rc1 e1Q 43.Rxe1 Rxe1 44.Qc8+ ) ] 40...Bb7 41.a5 Rxd5 42.Rc7 Rd3 43.Qc5 Bd5 44.Qb5 Rd8 45.a6 Kg7 46.Qb2+ Kg8 47.a7 Rb3 48.Qd4 [48.Qf6 ] 48...Rd3 49.Qf6 Rf8 50.h4! creating a second weakness and giving my king breathing space in case a Black rook checks me on g2 later. 50...h5 51.Rc5 [51.Rd7! Ba8 52.Rxd3 exd3 53.Qd4+- ] 51...Ba8 52.Rb5 Rdd8 53.Kg3 e3 54.Re5 Rde8 55.Qg5 e2 56.Qe3 Rxe5 57.Qxe5 f6 58.Qxe2 Kf7 59.Qc4+ Ke7 60.Qb4+ Kf7 61.Qc4+ Kg7 62.Qc7+ Rf7 63.Qb8 Rf8 64.Kf2 Kf7 65.Qc7+ Kg8 66.Qe7 [66.Qd7! was more accurate! 66...Kh8 67.Kg3 Kg8 68.Kh3 ] 66...Bd5 67.g3 [67.Qd7! ] 67...Ba8 68.Ke3 Bh1 69.Kf4 Ba8 70.g4 hxg4 here I only had a minute and about 30 sec. I first calculated sacrificing the pawn and quickly invading with my king but didn't see a way to breakthrough due to a bishop check on e4; I therefore went for the second choice which is to slowly bring my king up. 71.Kxg4?(+) Wrong decision, unfortunately. In my post-mortem analysis I saw that my king can quickly invade decisively with the pawn sac in an unusually way! [71.h5! gxh5 72.Kf5 Rf7 73.Qe8+ Rf8 74.Qg6+ Kh8 75.Ke6!! the king moving to the other side escaped my mind then. (75.Qh6+ Kg8 76.Kg6 Be4+ 77.Kxh5 and I thought Black must have defensive resources to hold in this line but my king isn't forced to go to g6 or h6!) 75...g3 76.Ke7 Rc8 77.Qxh5+ Kg8 78.Qg4++- ] 71...Bh1 72.h5 gxh5+ 73.Kxh5 Rf7 74.Qe1?? [74.Qe8+ Kg7 75.a8Q Bxa8 76.Qxa8 Re7 77.Qg2+ Kh8 and White still has technical difficulties to overcome.] 74...Rxa7 75.Kg6 Rg7+ 76.Kxf6 etc. and a draw was agreed later in a position where I was left with 3 sec and he with 8 sec on the clock. An exhausting but exciting game with the 6-time Dutch champion! 1/2-1/2