The Wall

Mariya Muzychuk – Dronavalli Harika
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 29, 2015
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bb4+ 5. c3 Bc5 6. Be3 Bb6 7. Nf5 g6 8. Bxb6 axb6 9. Ne3 Nf6 10. f3 Qe7 11. c4 Qb4+ 12. Qd2 Qxd2+ 13. Kxd2 d6 14. Nc3 Kd8 15. Ncd5. For 15. Be2 Re8 16. Rac1 Nd4 17. Rhd1 c6 18. Bf1 see 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī) – Salem, 52nd World Junior Chess Championship, Kocaeli 2013. 15. ... Nxd5 16. cxd5 Ne5 17. Be2 Re8 18. a3 f5 19. exf5 Bxf5 20. Rhe1 h5 21. f4 Ng4 22. Nxf5 gxf5 23. Bb5 Re4 24. Rxe4 fxe4 25. h3 Nf6 26. Ke3 Ke7 27. Rc1 Ra5. “[...] 27. ... Ra5 was not a good move. Better was 27. ... Nxd5+ 28. Kxe4 c6 29. Be2 and here at least I have 29. ... h4”, then Dronavalli Harika said. 28. Be2 Nxd5+ 29. Kxe4. “I liked my position here. But probably 29. ... h4 was better instead of 29. ... c6. And after that ... c7-c6 is possible”, Mariya Muzychuk said. 29. ... c6. “Yes, I saw it as well. But I thought 29. ... h4 30. Kf3 (with next Kf3-g4) 30. ... Ra4 31. Rc4 maybe. I shouldn’t have allowed this 30. g4. I thought she is getting in with the King – Ke4-f3, Kf3-g4. Maybe I was wrong. I should not have played 29. ... c6”, Harika said. 30. g4 hxg4 31. hxg4 b5 32. Bd1 Ra8 33. Bb3 Nf6+ 34. Kf5. Maybe stronger is 34. Kf3 aiming to mobilize the connected Pawns. 34. ... Rf8 35. Re1+ Kd8 36. Re6. If 36. Kg5 there follows 36. ... Nh7+ 37. Kg6 Rxf4 38. Kxh7 Rxg4 and it’s virtually impossible to win. 36. ... Nd5+ 37. Kg5 Nxf4 38. Rxd6+ Ke7 39. Rh6 Nd3 40. Re6+ Kd7 41. Re2 c5. “41. ... c5 is a very strong move. I calculated 42. Be6+ Kd6 43. Bf5 and then 43. ... Ne5 44. Rd2+ Kc6. But probably it’s not winning at all. That’s why I wanted to get a Rook ending”, Muzychuk said.

42. Bc2 Nf4. Clearly not 42. ... Nxb2 on account of 43. Bf5+. 43. Rd2+ Ke6 44. Bf5+ Ke5 45. Rd7 Rg8+ 46. Kh6 b6 47. Rf7 Rd8 48. Bd7 Rh8+ 49. Kg7 Rh2 50. Rf5+ Kd6 51. Bxb5 Ne6+ 52. Kg6 Rxb2 53. a4 Nd4 54. Rf6+ Ke5 55. Rxb6 c4 56. Rb8 c3 57. Rc8 Nxb5 58. axb5 Kd4 59. g5 Rxb5 60. Kf6 ½ : ½.

Mariya Muzychuk vs. Dronavalli Harika
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili