Long Live the Queen

Mariya Muzychuk – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Women’s World Chess Championship; match game 4; Krasnaya Polyana, April 5, 2015
Four Knights C47

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bc5 6. Be3 Bb4!? “I liked my position in the opening a lot. Natasha started to think already on the move 3. She probably did not expect 3. Nc3. Then she decided to go for a little-known line 5. ... Bc5 6. Be3 Bb4. I anticipated only the most common 6. ... Bb6”, then Mariya Muzychuk said. 7. Bd3!? For 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Qd4 Qe7 9. 0-0-0 0-0 see Potapov – Ponkratov, FIDE World Rapid Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2013. 7. ... Ne5!? 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Nd5 Nxd5 10. exd5 Re8 11. Be2 Bf8 12. Qd2 d6 13. h3 h6 14. Rae1 a6 15. f4 Nd7 16. Bf3 Nc5 17. Bf2 Rxe1 18. Rxe1 Bd7 19. g4!? “Maybe I should not have played 19. g4. Now I dislike this move, and before it my position was very good”, Muzychuk said. Alternatively, 19. c4 followed by Bf3-d1-c2 looks interesting. 19. ... Be7 20. Kg2 Bh4 21. Bxh4 Qxh4 22. Qf2 Qf6 23. Kg3 a5 24. Qd2 g5 25. Bg2 b5 26. b3 Qg6 27. a3 gxf4+ 28. Qxf4 b4 29. axb4 axb4 30. Qd2. Grandmaster Evgeny Miroshnichenko and International Master Elisabeth Pähtz recommend 30. Be4. 30. ... h5 31. Bf3 hxg4 32. hxg4 Rf8 33. Nc6 Bxc6 34. dxc6 Ne6 35. Qxb4 Qxc2 36. Qc4 Qb2 37. Bd5 Ng5. A questionable decision. 37. ... Kg7! seems a safer course. 38. Qf4 Qg7 39. Re7 Ra8 40. Qe3. “Honestly, I wasn’t playing for a draw. I did not plan to exchange everything, my plan was to fight. However, later Black created some counterplay, while I was very short on time. I am not sure about 40. Qe3, because I could not see how to proceed after the possible 40. ... Kf8”, Muzychuk said. Indeed, 40. b4 might give White greater chances for an advantage. 40. ... Qh6 41. Bxf7+. “This move is very demanding, but I usually trust my calculation, so I played it”, Muzychuk said. 41. ... Nxf7 42. Qxh6 Nxh6 43. Rxc7 Nf7 44. b4 Ne5 45. b5 Rb8 46. Rb7 Rc8 47. Kf4

47. ... Nd3+? Black evidently is not interested in a draw, even though there was nothing more (47. ... Nxc6 48. bxc6 Rxc6). 48. Ke4? Instead, Mariya would be content with a draw. After 48. Kf5 Nc5 49. Ra7 White plays for the win. But “For the same reason – I calculated everything and it was a clear draw”, Muzychuk said. 48. ... Nc5+ 49. Kd5 Nxb7 50. cxb7 Rd8. Also 50. ... Rc5+ 51. Kxd6 Rxb5 52. Kc7 Kf7 53. b8=Q Rxb8 54. Kxb8 Kg6 is a drawn game. 51. b6 Kf7 52. Kc6 Ke7 53. Kc7 Rd7+ 54. Kc6 Rd8 55. Kc7 Rd7+ 56. Kc6 Rd8 ½ : ½. “I started playing for a draw after 41. Bxf7+”, Muzychuk said. Congratulations to the new Women’s World Chess Champion!

Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich