A Second Chance

Alina Anatolyevna Kashlinskaya – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
65th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Chita, August 14, 2015
Nimzo-Indian Defence E33

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Bd2 Qe7 7. e3 0-0 8. a3 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 e5 10. d5 Nb8 11. Nd2 a5 12. b3 b6 13. Be2 c6 14. dxc6 Nxc6 15. 0-0 Bb7 16. Rfd1 Rac8 17. Qf5 Qc7 18. Rac1 Ne7 19. Qb1 Qb8 20. Nf1 Ne4 21. Be1 Ng5 22. f3 Ne6 23. b4 axb4 24. axb4 d5 25. cxd5 Bxd5 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. Bd3 h6 28. Bh4 f6 29. Ng3 Nf8 30. Nf5 Qa7 31. Ba6 Rc7 32. Nxe7+ Rxe7 33. Bb5 Ba2 34. Qb2 Be6 35. Bf2 e4 36. f4 Rc7 37. h3 Bc4 38. Ra1 Qb7 39. Bxc4+ Rxc4 40. b5 Qd5 41. Ra6 Nd7 42. Qa3 Kf7 43. Ra7 Rc5 44. Be1 Rxb5 45. Bb4 Kg6 46. Kh2

After a very hard fight, Alexandra Konstantinovna loses patience and thus gives her opponent the chance to win: 46. ... Qd1? She should have played 46. ... Qd3 and if 47. Qa2 then 47. ... Qd5 or 47. ... Rd5 with roughly equal chances (but not 47. ... Rxb4? 48. Qe6! with decisive penetration). 47. Bf8?? From a daydream to a nightmare! Instead, after the “silent” 47. Qc3!! Black gets trapped into a deadlock since she cannot avoid the devastating infiltration of the White Queen via c6 or c8 to g4 or g8. Now Black completely turn the tables: 47. ... Rb1 48. Bxg7 Qg1+ 49. Kg3 Rf1 50. f5+ Kh5! 0 : 1. For if 51. Rxd7 then 51. ... Rf3 mate.

The newly-weds Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk & Pavel Vladimirovich Tregubov. Photo: ruchess.ru.