Red Sea

Mariya Muzychuk – Valeria Dotan
28th Women’s European Chess Club Cup; Eilat, October 15, 2012
Sicilian Defence B51

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 Ngf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bxd7+ Nxd7 7. 0-0 e6 8. d5. Playing for an advantage in space – Benoni-style. 8. ... Ne5? A serious error of position judgment. Black must keep the position closed with 8. ... e5 9. a4 Be7 10. Nd2 0-0 11. Nc4 Nb6 12. Ne3 Bg5 as in the game Alekseev – Timofeev, 61st Russian Chess Championship, Moscow 2008. 9. Nxe5 dxe5 10. f4! Qc7. 10. ... Bd6 11. dxe6 Bxe6 12. f5 is no better. 11. Qh5 Bd6. If 11. ... g6 might follow 12. Qxe5 Qxe5 13. fxe5 Bg7 14. Na4! Bxe5 15. Nb6 Rb8 16. Nc4 with a huge advantage. 12. f5! g6? From bad to worse. Obviously 12. ... 0-0? 13. f6 is also very bad play, so Black King should perhaps think to move towards the Queenside by 12. ... exf5 13. exf5 b6. 13. fxg6 fxg6 14. Qh4. That’s the point: Black cannot castle. The end is near. 14. ... Be7 15. Bg5 Qd8. This is as bad as any other move.

16. Qf2! A very pretty solution! 16. ... Qd7. 16. ... Rf8 loses to 17. Qxf8+ Bxf8 18. Bxd8. 17. Qf7+ Kd8 18. dxe6 1 : 0. For if 18. ... Qxe6 (18. ... Qc7 19. Qf8+ Rxf8 20. Rxf8 mate) then 19. Bxe7+ (19. Rad1+ Kc7 20. Nd5+ Kb8 21. Bxe7 is also convincing) 19. ... Qxe7 20. Rad1+ Bd7 21. Rxd7+ Qxd7 22. Qf6+ finis.

Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: Chessdom