Отдача (Recoil)

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Marie Rachel Sebag
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 24, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D46

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. 0-0 e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. e4 exd4 11. Nxd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 h6 13. Rd1. Three days before Monika Soćko has been content with a sudden draw: 13. h3 Ne5 14. Nxe5 ½ : ½ Bobrowska-Soćko – M. Muzychuk, Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 21, 2015. 13. ... Nf6. After 49 minutes of thought! 14. h3. Colourless is 14. Nxd4 Nxd5 15. Be2 Qf6 ½ : ½ Jackelen – Ragger, Schachbundesliga 2007/2008, Godesberger SK – SG Solingen, Bonn-Godesberg 2008. 14. ... Nxd5? Both 14. ... Qe7 15. Nxd4 Rd8 and 14. ... Re8 15. Nxd4 Bd7 were safer continuations. 15. Bh7+ Kh8 16. Rxd4. “Marie Sebag en position difficile face à Natalia Pogonina!”, the staff of Europe Échecs tweeted. 16. ... Nf6 17. Bf4 Nxh7

18. Bxd6. Much stronger was 18. Rxd6! Qe7 19. Qc3! with a crushing bind. 18. ... Re8 19. Qb3 Kg8 20. Ne5 Qf6 21. Rad1 Ng5 22. h4 Ne6 23. Re4 Nf4!? A safer course seems to be 23. ... b6 in order to answer 24. Qd5 by 24. ... Ba6 15. Ra4 Nc5 making the position very double-edged. 24. Qa4. White’s Queen is attacking both the e8-Rook and f4-Knight. Black’s reply is forced. 24. ... b5 25. Qxb5 Be6 26. Qa4 Ng6 27. Nxg6 Qxg6 28. Rde1 Red8 29. Be5 Rac8 30. a3. If, instead, 30. R4e3 (intending Re3-g3) there might follow 30. ... Rd3 31. Rxd3 Qxd3 32. Qxa7 Rc4 with some vague hopes of survival. 30. ... Kh7 31. Bc3 Bd7. Black had one minute and nine seconds left, White had less than five minutes. 32. Qxa7! Natalia Andreevna decides to sacrifice the Exchange for two united passed Pawns on the Queenside. 32. ... Bc6 33. h5 Qg5 34. Qxf7 Bxe4 35. Rxe4 Rd1+ 36. Kh2 Rc5 37. Qg6+ Qxg6 38. hxg6+ Kxg6 39. Re7 Rh5+ 40. Kg3 Rg5+ 41. Kf3 Rd3+. “Once again we ended up in a Rook ending. I think Marie did not need to go for it, for the endgame with a Rook against a Bishop and two Pawns was probably a draw. Instead of 41. ... Rd3+ 42. Ke2 Rxc3 she could retreat the King and protect the g7-Pawn. Maybe she thought the Rook ending is an elementary draw, but it turned out more complicated than that. In the end I duly converted my extra Pawn”, then Pogonina said. 42. Ke2 Rxc3 43. bxc3 Rxg2 44. Re3 Rh2 45. c4 Rh4 46. Kd3 Rf4 47. c5 Kf7 48. Re2! Ra4 49. c6 Rxa3+ 50. Kd4 Ra1 51. Rc2 Rd1+ 52. Ke5! Re1+ 53. Kd6 Rd1+ 54. Kc7 Re1 55. Kc8 h5 56. c7 Re7 57. Kd8 Rxc7 58. Kxc7 Kf6 59. Kd6 Kf5 60. Rc5+ Kg4 61. f3+ Kxf3 62. Rxh5 Kf4 63. Rh4+ Kf5 64. Kd5 g5 65. Rh8 Kf4 66. Kd4 g4 67. Rf8+ Kg3 68. Ke3 1 : 0.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili