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Johan Salomon – Mariya Muzychuk
13rd Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 27, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D43

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. 0-0 Bg7 11. e4 e5 12. d5 0-0 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Qc2. If 14. Qe2 might follow 14. ... Nb6 15. Bb3 Bg4 as in the game Vereggen – Gieben, 17th Univé Chess Open, Hoogeveen 2013. 14. ... Nc5 15. Na4 Nxa4 16. Qxa4

16. ... h5! Launching a flank attack in the style of Florentine Grandmaster Sergio Mariotti. 17. Rad1 h4 18. Qa3 h3 19. g3? This is a serious slip that justifies Black’s bold play. The critical continuation here seems to be 19. Rd6! Be6!? (on 20. ... Qf4 21. Qe3! leads nowhere) 20. Bxe6 fxe6 with a very unbalanced position, in which Black should hope to get enough dynamic play to compensate for her weaknesses. 19. ... Bg4 20. Be2 Rfd8 21. Qc3 Bf8! 22. a3 a5! 23. Rfe1 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Rb8 25. Kf1? A silly move, after which White’s position collapses. 25. Rd2! would have saved a precious tempo and offered the toughest resistance (Black may perhaps keep the initiative with 25. ... a4). 25. ... Bxf3 26. Bxf3 Bc5! Black finishes the game off with a shining series of brilliant coups. 27. b3 a4! 28. b4 Bd4 29. Qd3 c5 30. Rb1 cxb4 31. axb4 Rc8 32. Qe2 Rc3 33. Bg4 Rb3 34. Rxb3. Otherwise ... Rb3-b2 would follow. 34. ... axb3 35. f3 Qc6 0 : 1. For if 36. Bxh3 then 36. ... Qc1+ 37. Qe1 b2 finis.

Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: Sophie Tray