水蒸气 (Water vapour)

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno – Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina
Women’s Grand Prix 2013–2014; fourth stage; Khanty-Mansiysk, April 21, 2014
Sicilian Defence B52

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Bd7 4. Bxd7+ Qxd7 5. 0-0 Nf6 6. d4. More usual is 6. e5!? dxe5 7. Nxe5 Qc8 8. d4 e6 9. Bg5 (Gurgenidze – Tal, Tbilisi 1969) and now 9. ... Nc6 with reasonable play. 6. ... cxd4 7. Qxd4 Nc6. For 9. ... 0-0 10. Qd3 Nc6 see Shomoev – Dominguez Perez, Loo 2014. 8. Qd3 g6 9. c4. Establishing a Maroczy bind. 9. ... Bg7 10. Nc3 0-0. Or 10. ... Rc8 11. Bd2 0-0 12. Rad1 a6 ½ : ½ Nunn – Mestel, Hastings 1979-’80. 11. h3 Rac8 12. Rb1 Qe6 13. b3 a6 14. Bb2 Nd7 15. Rfe1 Nc5 16. Qe2 Rb8. Alina l’Ami: “Once landed in the Maroczy type of positions, both Ukrainians tried to impose their plans: Black looking for a good moment to break with ... b7-b5, White keeping the pressure in the center and being on the lookout to blow things up with a well-timed e4-e5...”. 17. Nd5 Bxb2 18. Rxb2 Qd7. Again revealing Anna’s uncertainty over how to proceed. 19. e5! Alina l’Ami: “The ‘White’ Ukrainian found the proper moment, asking Black tough questions in the center and on the weakened black squares”. 19. ... Qd8 20. Rd2 Kg7 21. Qe3 a5 22. exd6 exd6 23. Qc3+ f6 24. Rde2 Kg8? Overlooking Ekateryna’s next decisive shot, but also hopeless is 24. ... Ne5 25. Nd4 and White maintains a winning bind.

25. Re8! 1 : 0.

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lahno vs. Anna Yuriyivna Ushenina. Photo: Nikolay Bochkarev.