Лещата (Vise)

Mariya Muzychuk – Mateo Ivić
14th European Individual Chess Championship; Legnica, May 9, 2013
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. Nc3 Qf6 7. Qe2 Nge7 8. h4 Nd4. The alternative was 8. ... h6 9. Be3 d6 as in the game Messa – Rupeni, 40th Italian Chess Championship, Naples 1981. 9. Nxd4 Qxd4? Not a happy new idea, as Her Majesty loses too much time walking over the board. Correct was 9. ... Bxd4 10. Rh3 0-0 as in the game Vishnu – Kuderinov, 10th Parsvnath Open, New Delhi 2012. 10. Be3 Qb4? Errare humanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum. Less committal is 10. ... Qf6, though after 11. 0-0-0 d6 12. Kb1 White stands better. 11. 0-0-0 0-0 12. h5 d5? Objectively speaking, there is no reason for sacrificing a Pawn, if not that Black’s position already was difficult. For instance, after 12. ... d6 13. a3 Bxe3+ 14. Qxe3 Qc5 15. Qxc5 dxc5 16. Nb5 c6 17. Nd6 White has a dominant position. If, instead, 12. ... h6 then 13. a3 Qa5 14. g4 with excellent attacking prospects. 13. a3 Qd6 14. exd5 Nf5 15. Bxb6 axb6 16. Nb5 Qd8 17. Qd2. Black has no compensation at all for his sacrificed Pawn and, furthermore, White has increased her initiative. 17. ... Bd7 18. g4 Bxb5 19. Bxb5 Nd6

20. h6! g6. Of course 20. ... Nxb5 is refuted by 21. hxg7. 21. Qd4 f6 22. Bd3 Qd7 23. f3 Ra4 24. Qf2 b5 25. c3 Nf7 26. Qc5 Nd6 27. Rhe1 b6 28. Qc6. White forces the exchange of Queens, since then will fall the b5-Pawn as well. 28. ... Qxc6 29. dxc6 Rf4 30. Re3 Re8. Or 30. ... Kf7 31. Bxb5! for if 31. ... Nxb5?? then 32. Rd7+ Kg8 33. Ree7 and mate is unavoidable. 31. Rxe8+ Nxe8 32. Bxb5 1 : 0.

Mariya Muzychuk in Legnica
Maria Boyard