16 свечей (Sixteen Candles)

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Marina Evgenievna Guseva
65th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Chita, August 17, 2015
Queen’s Gambit Declined D52

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Qa5. The Cambridge Springs Defence, a specialty of Guseva. 7. Nd2 Bb4 8. Qc2 0-0 9. Be2 c5 10. Bf4 cxd4 11. exd4 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Re8 13. 0-0 e5 14. Be3 Qc7 15. a4. “It’s easy to prepare against Marina Guseva, for she always plays the same lines”, then Goryachkina said. That means, for example, 15. Qb3 exd4 16. cxd4 b6 17. cxd5 Bb7 18. Bf3 Rad8 19. Rac1 Qb8 20. Rc6! with a powerful bind, Kashlinskaya – Guseva, 3rd Women’s World Blitz Championship, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 15. ... exd4 16. cxd4 dxc4 17. Qxc4 Qxc4 18. Nxc4 Nd5 19. a5 N7f6 20. Rfc1 h6 21. Nd6 Rd8 22. Nxc8. An interesting fight is in store: two Bishops against two Knights! 22. ... Raxc8 23. Bf3 b5 24. Kf1 Kf8 25. Bd2 Ke7 26. Rc5 Rxc5 27. dxc5 Kd7 28. h4 Re8? In my opinion, Black’s best move was 28. ... a6!, followed by ... Kd7-c6 with much better drawing chances. 29. Rd1 Kc6 30. Bc3! Rd8 31. g4! Ne8. Now it’s too late for 31. ... a6 because of 32. h5!, e.g. 32. ... Ne8 33. g5! hxg5 34. Rxd5! Rxd5 35. Bxg7! Nxg7 36. h6 and wins. 32. Be5. No doubt Black is pinned and packed.

32. ... Kxc5? Probably the decisive mistake. However, also after 32. ... Rd7 33. a6! g5 (or 33. ... f6 34. Bb8! b4 35. Bd6! Nxd6 36. Rxd5 Nf7 37. Rd4+ Kc7 38. Rxb4 and again White’s extra Pawn seems decisive) 34. hxg5 hxg5 35. Bd6! Nxd6 36. Rxd5 Nc4 37. Rxg5+ Kc7 38. Bd5 White has a Pawn to the good and an imposing position. 33. Bd4+ Kb4 34. Bxa7 Rd7 35. Bd4 Kb3. Not 35. ... Kxa5?? 36. Bxd5 and wins. 36. a6 f6 37. a7 Nec7 38. Bc5 Kc4 39. Rc1+ Kb3 40. Bd4 Rd8 41. Rc5 1 : 0.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina. Photo: ruchess.ru.