The Garden of Forking Paths

Mariya Muzychuk – 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)
40th Women’s Chess Olympiad; Istanbul, August 30, 2012
Four Knights Game C47

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 cxd5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. h3 Re8 11. Qf3 c6 12. Bf4 Be6 13. Ne2 Bd6 14. Rfe1 c5 15. Rad1 Qb6. For 15. ... h6 16. b3 a5 17. Ng3 Bxf4 18. Qxf4 Qb8 19. Qf3 see Nepomniachtchi – Smirnov, Siberian Bank Cup, Novosibirsk 2012. 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Nf4 Rab8 18. b3 Qb6 19. Re5 Qd6

20. Rg5. This move – in the style of the great Emanuel Lasker – is at least consistent with the previous Rook lift. 20. ... Rbd8? Black is fatally oblivious to the impending danger. Instead, the critical line seems to be 20. ... h6! 21. Rxg7+!? Kxg7 22. Qg3+ Bg4! (Miss Tactics may well have overlooked this interference) with a very unclear position. 21. Qg3. Now Black is in very bad trouble. 21. ... Qf8. If 21. ... g6 then 22. Bxg6! hxg6 23. Rxg6+ fxg6 24. Qxg6+ Kf8 (idem to say 24. ... Kh8) 25. Qxf6+ Kg8 (else 25. ... Bf7 26. Ng6+ Kg8 27. Qh8 mate) 26. Rd3 with a deadly attack. 22. Nh5 Nxh5 23. Bxh7+ Kh8. Not 23. ... Kxh7 24. Rxh5+ Kg8 25. Qh4 f6 26. Rh8+ and White wins the Queen. 24. Rxh5. The threat is 25. Be4+ Kg8 26. Rh8+ Kxh8 27. Qh4+ Kg8 28. Qh7 mate. 24. ... Qe7 25. Be4+. White is content with what she gets, coming out two Pawns to the good. 25. ... Kg8 26. Bxd5 Qf6 27. c4 Bf5 28. Qg5 Bg6 29. Qxf6 gxf6 30. Rh4 Rd6?? This is a flagrant blunder, but also against other moves White would win, anyway, in the long run. 31. Bxf7+ 1 : 0.

Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: ChessBase GmbH