The first US Junior Championship was organized by the USCF in 1946. It was an open event with just 32 players. Bobby Fischer won the event in back-to-back years, 1956 and ’57, winning a typewriter, yes a typewriter, for his efforts. For more information on the history of the US Junior Championships, check out this article by Bill Wall, www.ChessManiac.com/early-us-junior-champions.
Since 2009, the US Junior Closed Championships (both junior and girls) have been hosted at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
Today’s game is the pressure-filled seventh-round encounter between the eventual winner, Awonder Liang, and Ruifeng Li. For Liang, drawing was essential for his title chances but winning was that much the better. Li, after a really poor start, had started a comeback and really needed to win for any hope of a championship.
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2017 U.S. Junior Championship, St. Louis, Missouri
Awonder Liang (2536) — Ruifeng Li (2568)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 An unusual choice. 3.Bd7 is standard. 4.0–0 a6 5.Bd3!? Ngf6 6.Re1 b5 7.c4 g5!? This can’t be very good (can it?) but Black needed to win this game, so chances need to be taken. 8.Nxg5 Ne5 9.Bf1 bxc4 Amazingly this all has been played before. 10.Na3!? A new move. 10…Rg8 10...Nd3 is another choice when after 11.Bxd3 cxd3 12.Qb3 d5 13.exd5 Rg8 14.Qa4+ Qd7 15.Qxd7+ Bxd7 16.Nc4 with a small advantage for White. 11.d4 cxd4 If 11...cxd3 12.f4 Bg4 13.Qd2 Nc6 14.Qxd3 h6 15.Nf3 Nd7 16.Bd2 with a small plus for White 12.f4 Bg4 13.Qxd4 Nd3 14.Bxd3 cxd3 15.Qxd3 Even though White is a pawn up and Black’s king is stuck in the middle, the wacky engines consider White as only slightly better. To my human eyes, White has a large advantage. 15...e6?! Multiple computers suggested, nay, demanded 15…h6 to force the knight back, easing the pressure against Black’s king 16.f5! It’s never too early (or late) to open lines against a king stuck in the center! 16...h6 16…e5 17.Nc4 Qc7 18.b3 with an extra pawn and better structure 17.Nf3 d5?!? The Engines first choice but how can opening lines against your very own king be good? 17...Be7 seems saner but still after 18.fxe6 fxe6 19.Nc4 d5 20.exd5 Qxd5 21.Qxd5 Nxd5 22.Nfe5 White’s better but Black’s still playing. 18.fxe6 dxe4? Black’s only chance to survive, at least for a while, was 18…fxe6 when after 19.exd5 Qxd5 20.Qxd5 Nxd5 21.Ne5 Bxa3 22.bxa3 Bh3 23.Re2 h5 24.Rf2 Rc8 25.a4 Nc3 26.Be3 Bf5 27.a5 White is better- extra pawn, better pawn structure and insecure Black king, but has quite a few technical issues to solve. Now, however, Black’s king comes under a vicious assault. 19.exf7+ Kxf7 20.Ne5+ Ke6 21.Qc3 Nd5 22.Qd4 Nf6 23.Qc3 Nd5 Repeating the position to gain time on the clock; After 23...Rc8 24.Nac4 Qd5 25.Qb3 Rb8 26.Qg3 Bc5+ 27.Be3, it’s complicated but Black’s king is so exposed; 24.Qc4! Bh3 or 24...Rc8 25.Qxe4 Nf6 26.Qa4 Qb6+ 27.Kf1 Qb7 28.Nxg4+ Kf7 29.Ne5+ Kg7 should be winning; 23…Kxe5 is just too dangerous after 24.Rxe4+ Kf6 25.Rxg4 25.Qxe4! Bc5+ 26.Kh1 Bxg2+ 27.Qxg2 Rxg2 28.Nc6+ Now White gets his queen back with interest. 28...Kf5 29.Nxd8 Rf2 30.Nf7 Kg4 31.Rg1+ Kh3 Hoping for mate 32.Ng5+! A nice simplification combination 32...hxg5 33.Rg3+ Kh4 34.Bxg5+ Kh5 35.Rag1 with the winning idea of 36.Rh3+ Kg6 37.Be3+ Kf5 38.Bxf2 Bxf2 39.Rf3+ Ke4 40.Rxf2 35… Rf3 36.Rxf3 Bxg1 37.Rf5 Rg8 38.Rxd5 as there is no saving the bishop; 1–0
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Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.
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