Closing credits

Polina Shuvalova – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk
19th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Vysoké Tatry, April 19, 2018
Sicilian Defence B22

In the day when Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina from Russia won for the third time the European crown, one of her fellow female warriors, Polina Shuvalova, took over the scene as if she were her body double. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. d4 cxd4 6. cxd4 d6 7. Bc4 dxe5 8. dxe5 Ndb4 9. a3!? A sideline which might have surprised Muzychuk. Previously she experienced 9. Qxd8+ Nxd8 10. Na3 Bg4 11. Nd4 Ndc6 12. Nxc6 Nxc6 13. f4 e6 14. Be3 Bb4+ 15. Kf2 0-0-0 16. h3 Bf5 17. Rhd1 a6 and Black eventually drew a long ending, Sebag – M. Muzychuk, 4th Trophée Anatoly Karpov, Cap d’Agde 2015. 9. ... Be6? This novelty will probably appear only in a footnote, since it is anything but better than 9. ... Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Na6 with good prospects of equalising; for instance: 11. b4 Bg4 12. Bb2 Nc7 13. Nd2 e6 14. Ke2 0-0-0 15. Rac1 Bh5 ½ : ½ Stević – Palac, 15th Croatian Chess Championship, Split 2007/2008. 10. Bxe6 Nd3+ 11. Ke2 Nxc1+ 12. Qxc1 fxe6. White can no longer castle, but Muzychuk risks to pay a high price while making her way through a difficult development due to her doubled Pawns and her Bishop bottled up. 13. Nc3? Muzychuk’s hopes of going for complications are eventually to come true. Stockfish’s 13. Rd1 Qb6 14. Qc4 g6 15. Nc3 Bg7 16. Na4 would have ensured White a lasting and powerful advantage. 13. ... g6 14. Qf4 Bg7 15. Rhe1 Qb6 16. Kf1 Qxb2 17. Qc4 Qc2. Maybe, under other circumstances, Muzychuk would have been content with 17. ... Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Rxe5 0-0! 20. Ra2 Rxf2+! drawing by perpetual check. 18. Rab1 0-0-0?? This is a harakiri in grand style. After 18. ... 0-0 19. Qxe6+ (or 19. Rxb7 Rac8) 19. ... Kh8 everything was quite alright for Black. 19. Qxe6+ Rd7 20. Ne4+− Nd8 21. Qh3 Qc4+ 22. Kg1 Qe6 23. Rec1+ Rc7 24. Rxc7+ Kxc7

The finish is brilliant: 25. Rxb7+! Kc8 26. Qxe6+ Nxe6 27. Rxe7 Bxe5 28. Nxe5 Rd8 29. g3 Nc7 30. Rxh7 1 : 0.