Entr’acte

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 3; Krasnaya Polyana, April 4, 2015

Queen’s Gambit Declined D45

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. 0-0 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 a6 11. Ng5. “It was a difficult game with unbalanced material – three Pawns for a piece. I did not expect 11. Ng5 from Natalia, as she never played it before, and I had to recall everything at the board. It took about half an hour, but I think I did not forget anything”, then Muzychuk said. 11. ... Qc7 12. e4 Bxh2+. Probably not played on the spur of the moment. If 12. ... h6 might follow 13. e5 hxg5 14. exd6 Qxd6 15. Bxg5 Qxd4 16. h4 Bb7 17. Rad1 Qc5 18. Qd2 b4 19. Na4 Qa5 20. b3 c5 21. h5 with adequate compensation for the Pawn, Nepomniachtchi – Korobov, 16th European Individual Championship, Jerusalem 2015. 13. Kh1 c5 14. e5 cxd4 15. exf6 Nxf6 16. f4 Bg3 17. Qd3 dxc3 18. Qxg3 h6 19. Nh3. “19. Nh3 was a first new move for me, I only examined 19. Nf3 previously. So I was out of my book, but I think my position was quite good. Three Pawns should be enough for a piece”, Muzychuk said. 19. ... Ne4 20. Qe1. Black has three Pawns for the Bishop, but “Before the endgame, the gods have placed the middlegame”, Siegbert Tarrasch said. And in the middlegame White Bishop pair and Kingside initiative might be very dangerous. 20. ... Bb7 21. Bf3 cxb2 22. Bxb2 Qc2 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Rf2 Qd3 25. Kh2 Rfd8. With Bishops of opposite colour, the attacker has the advantage in the middlegame, so everything depends on the next few moves. If Black is able to swap Queens before White’s attack succeeds.

26. Rc1. It was worth considering 26. a4 for lifting the Rook to the Kingside via a3. 26. ... Rac8 27. Rxc8 Rxc8 28. a3. If 28. Rd2 then 28. ... Rc2 with equality. 28. ... Bd5. Grandmaster Aleksander Delchev recommends 28. ... Rc2 29. Rxc2 Qxc2 30. Qf2 Qb1 31. Qd4 f6 32. Nf2 Bd5 33. Nd1 Kh7 34. Ne3 Bc6 35. Bc3 Qe4 36. Qxe4+ Bxe4 37. g4 Kg6 with about even chances. 29. Rd2. But Pogonina misses her chance with 29. f5! Rc4 30. fxe6 Bxe6 31. Qe5 Rg4 32. Nf4 and white has some winning prospects; for example: 32. ... Qg3+ 33. Kg1 Bd7 34. Qc7 (Delchev’s analysis). 29. ... Qg6 30. Qe5. Now 30. f5 Qxf5 31. Qg3 Qg6 32. Qxg6 fxg6 33. Nf4 Kf7 34. Nxd5 exd5 35. Kg3 (or 35. Rxd5 Rc2 with equality) 35... g5 36. Rxd5 Rc2 37. Rf5+ Ke6 38. Rf2 Rxf2 39. Kxf2 g6 leads nowhere (Delchev’s analysis). 30. ... f6 31. Qe3. Black is now getting out of danger. If 31. Qd6 then 31. ... Rc6! is a good reply. 31. ... Rc4 32. Rf2. Intending f4-f5. 32. ... Qf5 33. Bc3 Ra4 34. Bd2 a5 35. Qc5 Qd3 36. Bc1 Qc4 37. Qxc4 Rxc4 38. Bb2 b4 39. axb4 Rxb4. “When I got the passed a-Pawn in the endgame, I realized I can bring it to а2 with a nearly winning position. I don’t know if I really had a win, but it was quite hard to find at the board”, Muzychuk said. 40. Bc3 Rb5 41. Rd2 a4 42. Bb2 Rb3 43. f5. Better late than never! 43. ... a3 44. Bd4 Rb4. “[...] I knew my position is much better, but I could not see the win. I could play 44. ... a2 instead of 44. ... Rb4, but it would be an easy draw for White because of the opposite-colored Bishops”, Muzychuk said. 45. Nf4. “Everything seemed to work out, and the resulting Rook ending seemed drawish to me”, then Pogonina said. 45. ... a2 46. Nxd5. What about 46. fxe6 instead of 46. Nxd5? – then asked Anastasia Karlovich. “Oh no, somehow I was reluctant to give my opponent a new Queen”, Pogonina answered. 46. ... Rxd4 47. Nxf6+ gxf6 48. Rxa2 e5 49. Ra8+ Kf7 50. Ra7+ Ke8 51. Ra6 Ke7 52. Ra7+ Rd7 53. Ra6 Kf7 54. Kg3 Kg7. After 54. ... h5! “I was planning to attack this Pawn with 55. Kh4. Not sure about its evaluation, should analyze the position later”, Pogonina said. 55. Kg4 Re7 56. Ra3 Kh7 57. Ra6 e4 58. Ra2 e3 59. Re2 Rg7+ 60. Kh4 Rg8 61. g4 Re8 62. Kg3 h5 63. gxh5 Kh6 64. Kf4 Re5 65. Rxe3 Rxe3 66. Kxe3 Kxh5 67. Kf4 ½ : ½.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina vs. Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk. Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich.