Khachiyan, Melikset vs Arnold, Marc

[Event "2013 U.S. and Womens' Championship"]
[Site "Saint Louis, Missouri, USA"]
[Date "2013.05.12"]
[Round "9.14"]
[White "Khachiyan, Melikset"]
[Black "Arnold, Marc"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[PlyCount "36"]
[WhiteElo "2518"]
[WhiteFideId "13300512"]
[WhiteTitle "GM"]
[BlackElo "2517"]
[BlackFideId "2022320"]
[BlackTitle "GM"]
[ECO "D11o"]
[TimeControl "6000+1130"]
[Source "Codekiddy"]
[SourceQuality "3"]
[ImportDate "2026-01-06"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. g3
{ an uncommon continuation with some transpositional possibilities. } 3... c6
{ Black chooses a Slav setup, which immediately aims to nullify White's pending bishop development to  g2. }
4. Bg2 Bf5 5. O-O Nbd7 6. c4
{ we now have a fianchetto-type Slav,  which is not nearly as  effective an opening for White as the analagous Catalan against the QGD  (without ...c6 being played) }
6... e6 7. Qb3
{ an aggressive move, but one  which scores over 56 percent for Black in the database. All of the main  continuations favor Black, showing how the fianchetto line versus the Slav is generally ineffective. }
7... Qc8 { a rather passive development for the  queen. } ( 7... Qb6
{ is the most  popular and should be the easiest road to  equality. Exchanging queens on b6 would be fine for Black, as he then  would get the half-open a-file and the doubled b-pawns are not in fact  weak. }
) 8. Nc3 dxc4
{ a novelty in the database. Black normally continues  to maintain the tension in the center and have the extra control over e4.  The text move leads to a looser continuation by Black which is more  aggressive and unbalanced. }
( 8... h6 { is the most played here. } ) 9. Qxc4 b5 10. Qb3 b4
{ the logical  follow-up. Now that Black has chosen this  aggressive line which also weakens his queenside, he needs to keep hitting White's pieces to disrupt his opponent and keep him off-balance. }
11. Na4 ( 11. Nb1
{ is an alternative, looking to reposition the knight to d2. } ) 11... Be4 12.
Bd2 { White plays carefully to neutralize Black's chances. } ( 12. Bg5 $5 Bd5
13. Qd3 Be4 14. Qe3
{ would see White play for an advantage and avoid the repetition line from the game. }
) 12... Bd5 13. Qc2 Qa6
{ by  attacking the Na4 and the e2 pawn simultaneously, Black sets up the  conditions for the repetition. The White queen must stay on the d1-a4  diagonal to protect the knight and  White also has to worry about the  pawn. }
14. Rfe1 Be4 15. Qb3 { White accepts the idea of a draw by repetition. } ( 15.
Qd1 { would avoid this, but the position is equal in any case. } ) 15... Bd5
16. Qc2 Be4 17. Qb3 Bd5 18. Qc2 Be4 1/2-1/2