Attack on Titan

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Amina Sherif
5th Women’s World Chess Team Championship; 成都市 (Chéngdū), April 23, 2015
Old Indian Defence A53

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. Nc3 Bf5 4. g3 e5 5. Bg2 c6 6. e4 exd4 7. Qxd4 Be6 8. Nge2 Nbd7 9. b3 Qb6 10. Qd1. A brilliant “precedent” is 10. Bf4 Be7 11. Rd1 Qxd4 12. Nxd4 Ne5 13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. c5 g5 15. Bxg5 dxc5 16. f4 Neg4 17. Ke2 h6 18. Bh4 h5 19. Bf3 Nd7 20. Bxe7 Kxe7 21. e5 Nb6 22. h3 Nh6 23. Ne4 Nf5 24. Kf2 Raf8 25. h4 c4 26. bxc4 Nxc4 27. Nc5 b6 28. Rd7+ Ke8 29. Rxa7 Nd4 30. Nxe6 Nxf3 31. Kxf3 Nxe5+ 32. Ke4 Ng4 33. Rd1 Nf2+ 34. Ke5 Nxd1 35. Kd6 1 : 0 Shirov – Grigore, 29th World Junior Chess Championship, Santiago 1990. 10. ... Rd8 11. 0-0 Be7 12. h3 0-0 13. Be3 Qc7 14. f4 Nb6. We’d dismiss Sherif’s strategy as bad judgment. After 14. ... Nc5 15. Qc2 h6 Black can still hope to consolidate. 15. Bd4 d5? Amina breaks up the centre at the wrong time... 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. e5 Ne4 18. f5. ... Only to find herself in a nightmare position. 18. ... Nxc3 19. Nxc3 Bc8 20. Nb5 Qb8 21. f6! As they say, White’s attack plays itself. 21. ... gxf6 22. exf6 Bd6 23. Qh5 Kh8 24. Nxd6 Qxd6 25. Rf4 Qe6 26. Raf1 Qc6

27. Be4! A pretty interference. After 27. Rh4 Qc2 the game continues for a few more moves. 1 : 0. For if 27. ... dxe4 then 28. Rh4 and mate in three moves.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich