To me, the striking thing about the following three games is the maturity of Eric Rosen's play and the universality of his style. He can play a pragmatic technical ending, get into a crazy slugfest and create problems for his opponents from the ugliest of positions, or play for strategic domination. In short, he's most deserving of the 2011 National High School title!

Eric was kind enough to annotate the first game: additional comments beyond Eric's are indicated by "RR" (the Informant symbol for editorial comments).

Eric Rosen (2274) - Curtis Winter (2015) [B13]
2011 National High School Championship, Round 3
[Eric Rosen, additonal comments by Bill Brock]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Qb3 Bxf3 9.gxf3 e6 10.Qxb7 Nxd4 11.Bb5+ Nxb5 12.Qc6+ Ke7

The game was all opening theory up until this point. I chose to deviate from the mainline in hopes to avoid a drawish ending.  

13.Nxb5!?

 This is a rare sideline only played 17 times out of 746 games (according to my database). White has the initiative, but if Black is careful not to blunder, he should come out slightly better.

13.Qxb5 Qd7 (RR: Fischer provided the model game for White in this line: 13...Nxc3 14.bxc3 Qd7 15.Rb1 Rd8 16.Be3 Qxb5 17.Rxb5 Rd7 18.Ke2 f6 19.Rd1 Rxd1 20.Kxd1 Kd7 21.Rb8 Kc6 22.Bxa7 g5 23.a4 Bg7 24.Rb6+ Kd5 25.Rb7 Bf8 26.Rb8 Bg7 27.Rb5+ Kc6 28.Rb6+ Kd5 29.a5 f5 30.Bb8 Rc8 31.a6 Rxc3 32.Rb5+ Kc4 33.Rb7 Bd4 34.Rc7+ Kd3 35.Rxc3+ Kxc3 36.Be5 1-0 Fischer-Euwe, Leipzig 1960) 14.Nxd5+ Qxd5 15.Qxd5 exd5 is mainline.

13...Rb8! 

The natural looking 13...Rc8? runs into 14.Nxa7!

 Variation after 14.Na7!

RR: There's cute tactics after 14...Rc7! Both the White Na7 and the Black Ke7 are horribly awkward. (14...Rxc6?? 15.Nxc6+ Ke8 16.Nxd8 Kxd8) 15.0-0! f6 (After 15...h6 16.Rd1 keeps the White advantage (16.Re1? Kf6 17.Qa4 Bb4 18.Re4 Qa8 Black was better in Looshnikov-Sergienko,Miass 2007) 16...Kf6 17.Rxd5!) 16.Re1! Qd7 17.Qxd7+ Kxd7 and the horse escapes.

14.Nd4 Qb6 15.Be3 Kf6 16.Qxb6 Rxb6 17.Nb3 Rb7 18.Ke2 Bd6 19.Rac1 Be5 20.Rc2 Nb4 21.Rd2 Nd5

21...Nxa2? 22.Nc5 Rxb2 (RR: Rybka suggests that 22...Rc7! 23.Nd7+ Kf5 24.Nxe5 Kxe5 is still equal) 23.Nd7+ Kf5 24.Nxe5 Rxd2+ 25.Bxd2 Kxe5 26.Ra1+-

22.Rc1 Kf5 23.Nd4+

23.Rc6 Bxh2 24.Rxd5+ exd5 25.Nd4+ Ke5 26.f4+ Bxf4 27.Kf3 Bxe3 28.Kxe3, and now Black has only one saving move 28...g5-+

23...Bxd4 24.Bxd4 Rg8 25.Rc4 g6 26.Ra4 Rgb8 27.b3 Ra8 28.Rc2 a5 29.Be3 Rb4 30.Bd2 Rxa4 31.bxa4 g5 32.Rc5 h5 33.Rxa5

33...Rxa5?!

After the trade of rooks, White should be technically winning. 33...Rc8 gives black better chances.

34.Bxa5 Ke5 35.Bd2 Kd4 36.a5 f6 37.a6 Nc7 38.a7 g4 39.fxg4 hxg4 40.f3 f5 41.fxg4 fxg4 42.Kf2 Ke4 43.Kg3 Kf5 44.a4 Na8 45.a5 Nc7 46.Be3 Na8 47.Bf4 e5

48.Bxe5!

RR: Eric was too modest to add the exclam. The Na8 is terrible at blockading the h-pawn, as it only has the c7 square to move to.  

48...Kxe5 49.Kxg4 Kf6 50.h4

And Black resigns: it's an easy win after 50.h4 Nc7 (50...Kg6 51.Kf4 Kh5 52.Ke5 Kxh4 53.Kd6 Kg5 54.Kc6 Kf6 55.Kb7 Ke7 56.Kxa8 Kd8 57.Kb7 and Black is one move too late) 51.Kf4 Kg6 52.Ke4 Kh5 53.Kd3 (53.Kd4?? Nb5+ 54.Kc5 Nxa7 55.Kb6 Nc8+ 56.Kb7 Nd6+ is a book draw) 53...Kxh4 54.Kc4 Kg5 55.Kc5 Kf6 56.Kc6 Ke7 57.Kxc7 again wins by only one tempo.

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Eric Rosen (2274) - Daniel Gater (2145) [B14]
2011 National High School Championships, Round 5
[Bill Brock]

Eric lets a winning position slip and has to hang on for dear life for more than a dozen moves. Resilient defense (and a little luck) is rewarded!  This was the only loss for Daniel Gater of Indiana: he earned the National Master title in this event.

1.c4 c6 2.e4

An important move order finesse! 2.d4 d5 is the Slav.

2...d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4

Eric got a lot of mileage out of the Panov Attack in this event, usinjg it to avoid both the Main Line Caro-Kann and the Slav.  It's wise to play openings that your opponent will find mildly annoying.

4...Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Qb3 Bg7 7.cxd5 0-0 8.Nge2 Nbd7 9.g3 Nb6 10.Bg2

10...Bg4

10...Bf5 11.Nf4 Qd7 is quiet and sensible. If 12.h3 g5 is now playable.

11.Nf4! g5? 12.Nd3 Qd7?!

White's knight is headed for e5: why walk into a fork?

13.Ne5

13...Qf5

Perhaps Black should have conceded the g-pawn with 13...Qd6

 

14.h3! Bh5 15.g4 Bxg4 16.hxg4 Nxg4 17.Nxg4 Qxg4 18.Bh3 Qf3 19.Rh2

  

Rosen has won a piece for a pawn; the price is temporary discombobulation.

19...Bxd4 20.Bxg5?

20.Ne2! forces the trade of queens: the win is not trivial, but it should be fairly routine after 20...Qxb3 21.axb3 Bf6 22.Bf5! h6 23.Rxh6 (23.d6!?) 23...Nxd5 24.Be4 Rfd8 25.Ra5! as White's pieces are now superactive.

20...Be5!

 Ouch!  

21.Bg2

21.Rg2!? Qxh3 22.Rg1 threatens mate, but Black has several escapes. 22...Kh8 23.Bxe7 Rfe8 24.d6 Nc8 25.0-0-0 Nxe7 26.dxe7 Bxc3 27.bxc3 (27.Qxc3+ Qxc3+ 28.bxc3 Rxe7 groveling for the draw may be better.) 27...Rxe7 and Black is a pawn up with a safer king.]

21...Qg4 22.Rh1?!

Rybka's 22.Bxe7 Bxh2 23.Kf1! may be White's best try. Black is up the Exchange, but White's king is safer and the Black rooks aren't operating at full force. 23...Rfe8 24.d6 Be5 25.Rd1 and it's a game..

22...Qxg2!

Better than 22...Qxg5 23.Be4 h6 24.Ke2!? Qg4+ 25.f3 Qg2+ 26.Kd3 and Black has to watch the g-file.

23.Ke2!

 "My king is an active piece!"--Steinitz.

23...Qg4+ 24.Kf1 Kh8!

25.Qc2! f5 26.Rg1 Qh3+ 27.Ke2 Rg8 28.Be3 Nc4 29.Rxg8+ Rxg8 30.Nd1

  

30...Qh5+

As Eric noted, 30...Rg1! was an instant kill: 31.Qxc4?? Qf1+

31.f3 Nxe3?

Don't exchange pieces in a king hunt unless you've calculated the outcome! Again, 31...Nxb2! kills because of White's second rank weaknesses: 32.Nxb2 Rg2+ 33.Bf2 Rxf2+ 34.Kxf2 Qh2+ would win the queen.

32.Nxe3 Qh2+ 33.Kd3 Qf4 34.Qc4!

All Eric needs is a slightly inferior ending to get winning chances!

34...Qxf3 35.Rf1 Qe4+?

After 35...Qh3! 36.Rxf5 Bxb2 , White will win a pawn back, but Black keeps the initiative by keeping queens on the board. 37.Qc5 Bf6 38.Qxa7 But as ugly as Eric's position could have been, I wouldn't doubt his ability to fight on here.

36.Qxe4 fxe4+ 37.Kxe4  

The centralized king is now a giant asset for White! And whose king is safer?  

37...Bd6

37...Bf6 38.d6 Rd8! 39.dxe7 Rd4+! (forcing White to block the f-file) (39...Bxe7 40.Rf7=) 40.Kf5 Bxe7 Black can push for something here, but White's pieces are nicely centralized, so a draw seems likely.

38.Rf7! h6 39.Nf5! Rg4+ 40.Ke3 Bc5+ 41.Kf3 Rb4?! 42.b3! Rb6

Compare the activity of White's and Black's pieces!

43.Nxe7 Ra6

43...Bxe7 44.Rxe7 Kg8 45.Ke4 Kf8 46.Rh7 Ra6 47.a4 Rb6 48.Ke5! Rxb3 49.Ke6!

44.Nf5 Rb6

44...Rxa2 45.Rxb7

45.Ke4 Kg8 46.Rc7 Ba3 47.Rc2

47.Ne3! with the idea of Nc4 is even stronger. But it 's hard to move such a beautiful knight.

47...Kf7 48.Ke5 Kg6

49.d6!

Tactics!

49...Rb5+ 50.Ke6 Rb6

50...Rxf5 51.Rg2+ Rg5 52.Rxg5+ hxg5 53.d7.

51.Rg2+ Kh5 52.Rg7 Rb4 53.d7 Re4+ 54.Kd5 Re1 55.d8Q Rd1+ 56.Nd4 1-0

Eric Rosen (2274) - Marc Arnold (2521) [A21]
National High School Championships, Round 7
[Bill Brock]

And here's the championship game.  The event's top seed, IM Marc Arnold, trailed by half a point and was in a must-win situation.

1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Bb4 3.Qb3 Nc6 4.Nf3 Be7

Both players like their bishops. The gambit 4...Nf6!? has been played a couple times: 5.Nxe5 Qe7 (5...Nd4 6.Qa4 Qe7 7.Nd3 Bd6) 6.Nxc6 dxc6; 4...d6 is perhaps more logical.

5.e3 d6 6.Be2 Nh6 7.0-0 0-0 8.a3 f5 9.d4

And both players want to fight!  

9...Nf7 10.Rd1 Qe8 11.Nd5 Bd8 12.Qc2

12...Nb8

12...e4 13.Nd2 Ne7! , redirecting the knight to the kingside action, may be better.

13.b4 c6 14.Nc3 e4 15.Nd2 Nd7 16.f3 exf3 17.Nxf3 Ng5 18.Nxg5 Bxg5 19.e4 f4!?

Not the best move, but a very good move for the situation. 19...Bxc1 20.Raxc1 Nf6 21.exf5 Qe3+ 22.Kh1 Qf4=

20.Bf3 Qg6 21.Qe2 c5?!

The better way to play against White's phalanx is 21...a5!+/=

22.dxc5 dxc5 23.Rd5!?

23.e5! wakes up a killer bishop.

23...Be7

24.Rf5!?

 When I first saw this game, I'd assumed that White was planning a passive Exchange sac (leaving the rook on d5 in hopes of creating a central pawn majority). Eric's idea is unorthodox and strong!  

24...cxb4 25.axb4 Bxb4 26.Nd5 Bc5+ 27.Kh1 Nb6

27...Rxf5 28.exf5 Qxf5 29.Bxf4

28.Rxf8+ Bxf8 29.Bxf4 Nxd5 30.exd5

30.cxd5?? Qf6-/+

30...Bf5 31.Qf2 a5

32.Qd4

 Centralize your queen! She now rules the board.

32...Bg4 33.Bxg4 Qxg4

Passive defense is not an option because of the tournament situation.

34.d6 Qd7 35.c5 a4 36.Bd2 a3 37.Bc3 a2

Looks impressive, but White controls a1 three times.

38.Rf1 Kh8 39.Qc4

39.Qf4 Qc8 40.Qf7 is stronger, but Eric is bound by the same pragmatic concern: he doesn't *need* to win the game to take the title. White isn't going to lose by sitting on the center. And there's a threat, which Black overlooks.

39...b6?

It's not clear to me that White can win after 39...h6 , but White is still much better after Rybka's 40.Qb4 (to stop ...b6) 40...Qc8 41.Ba1 Kg8 42.h3 A draw from a dominating position would also have given Eric the title.

40.Qxa2! Qd8

40...Rxa2 41.Rxf8#

41.Qe6 bxc5 42.Be5 Ra7 43.d7! Ra8

43...Rxd7 44.Qxd7!

44.Rf7 Qg5

45.h3!

 A marvelous finish! [45.h3 Qg6 46.Qe8]

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