Lex talionis

Mariya Muzychuk – 袁元凌 (Yuán Yuánlíng)
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 18, 2015
Dutch Defence A85

1. d4 f5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. h4! Bayonet attack! 4. ... Bg7. Possibly better was 4. ... d6 5. h5 Nxh5 6. Rxh5! gxh5 7. e4 fxe4 8. Qh5+ Kd7 making the position very double-edged. 5. h5! Nxh5

6. e4! fxe4 7. Rxh5! gxh5 8. Qxh5+ Kf8 9. Bh6! Black’s King is already in danger. 9. ... e6. If 9. ... Bxh6 then 10. Qxh6+ Kg8 11. Qg5+ Kf7 12. Nxe4 Qg8 13. Qf4+ Ke8 14. Qxc7 with a very powerful attack, Nakamura – Barron, PWC Open, Toronto 2009. 10. Nxe4 Qe7. Equally bad is 10. ... d5 11. Bxg7+ Kxg7 12. Qe5+ Kh6 13. Nf6 and White wins, Turov – Sabirova, Tashkent 2012. 11. Bxg7+. Even stronger might be 11. 0-0-0! Bxh6+ (if 11. ... Qf7 there follows 12. Bxg7+ Qxg7 13. Rd3 Nc6 14. Rg3 and wins) 12. Qxh6+ Qg7 (12. ... Ke8 13. Rd3 Rf8 14. Rg3) 13. Qf4+ Qf7 14. Qxc7 d5 15. Qd8+ Kg7 16. Qg5+ Kf8 17. Nd6 and wins, Valles – Frederic, Le Grand-Bornand 2007. 11. ... Kxg7 12. 0-0-0 d6 13. Rd3 Rf8 14. Ng5 Kh8 15. Rh3 Rf5. No better is 15. ... e5 16. Nxh7! Bxh3 17. Nxf8+ Kg7 18. Nxh3 and White wins. 16. N1f3 Nd7 17. g4. Much stronger was 17. Bd3 Nf6 18. Nf7+ winning on the spot. 17. ... Nf6 18. Qg6. Threatening Ng5-f7+. 18. ... Rxg5 19. Qxg5 Qg7 20. Bd3? Hardly inspired and certainly not best. 20. Qh4! e5 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Nxe5 was the clearest way for White to win. 20. ... Bd7? Black’s only chance was 20. ... e5, although after 21. dxe5 dxe5 22. Qxg7+ Kxg7 23. Nxe5 h5 24. f3 White will emerge a clear Pawn ahead in a very advantageous position. 21. Qxg7+ Kxg7 22. g5 1 : 0.

袁元凌 (Yuán Yuánlíng)
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Women’s World Chess (@worldwomenchess)