Tragedy of the commons

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Dronavalli Harika
Women’s World Chess Championship; Krasnaya Polyana, March 23, 2015
French Defence C18

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. h4 Qa5 8. Bd2 Qa4 9. h5 b6 10. h6 gxh6 11. Nf3 Ba6 12. Rh4. Alexandra Konstaninovna takes a walk on the sharpest side. It is probably more convincing 12. Bxa6 Nxa6 13. Bxh6 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Rc8 15. Qf3 Nc5 16. Bg7 Rg8 17. Rxh7 Nf5 18. Nxf5 exf5 19. Qxf5 Qe4+ 20. Qxe4 Nxe4 21. 0-0-0 Nxf2 22. Rxd5 Ne4 23. e6 fxe6 24. Re5 Nc5 25. Bf6 Rxg2 26. Reh5 Rg1+ 27. Kb2 Na4+ 28. Kb3 Nc5+ 29. Ka2 Rg6 30. Re7+ Kf8 31. Rxa7 Rg8 32. Rhh7 Ne4 33. Be5 1 : 0 Smirin – E. Berg, Bronstein Memorial, Minsk 2014. 12. ... Bxf1 13. Kxf1 Nbc6 14. dxc5 Qb5+ 15. c4 dxc4 16. Qe2 Ng6 17. Re4 bxc5 18. Bxh6 Rd8 19. Qxc4 a6 20. Qxb5 axb5 21. Rb1 b4 22. Rc4 bxa3. By far Black’s best practical chance. 23. Rxc5 Nge7 24. Ra1 Ra8 25. Nd2. “To consolidate [her] edge and guarantee a ‘two result’ game (i.e. either White wins or Black holds a draw) [Kosteniuk] needed to round up Black’s passed a-Pawn, which could have been done with 25. Rc3 a2 26. Rb3 followed by Rb3-b2 and snapping it off”, Dennis Monokroussos writes. 25. ... Kd7 26. Nc4 Nd5

27. Rb5? A bad mistake. If 27. Nxa3 then 27. ... Rhb8 with roughly even chances, whereas after 27. Rxa3 Rxa3 28. Nxa3 Nxe5 29. Bg7 Ra8 30. Bxe5 Rxa3 31. c4 White would have retained his microscopic advantage. 27. ... Nd4 28. Rxd5+. Also after 28. Nb6+ Kc6 White is forced to sacrifice the Exchange anyway. 28. ... exd5 29. Nb6+ Ke6 30. Nxa8 Rxa8 31. c3 Nc6 32. Bc1 a2 33. Ke2 Nxe5 34. Kd2 h5 35. Kc2 Kf5 36. Kb3 Nd3 37. Ba3 Nxf2 38. Rxa2 Ne4 39. Re2 Kg4 40. c4 dxc4+ 41. Kxc4 Rxa3 42. Rxe4+ Kg3 43. Re5 h4 44. Rg5+ Kh2 45. Rg7 Rg3 46. Rxf7 Kxg2 47. Rd7 Rg4+ 48. Kc3 h3 49. Rd2+ Kg3 50. Rd3+ Kh4 51. Rd2 Rg3+ 52. Kc4 Rg2 53. Rd8 h2 54. Kd3 Rg5 55. Kd4 0 : 1.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk vs. Dronavalli Harika
Photo: Vladimir Barsky