Starring Role

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Bharata Koti Harsha
54th World Junior Chess Championship; Khanty-Mansiysk, September 5, 2015
Queen’s Indian Defence A40

1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. Nf3 Bb7 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxf3 6. exf3 Bxd2+ 7. Qxd2 d5 8. Nc3 Ne7 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bg2 0-0 11. 0-0 Nbc6. For 11. ... Nd7 12. f4 c6 see Korobov – Pixton, World Youth Chess Championship Under 16, Oropesa del Mar 2001. 12. f4 a6 13. Rad1 Qd6 14. Rfe1 Rfe8 15. Qd3 g6 16. h4 Kg7 17. h5 b5 18. Qf3 Red8 19. hxg6 hxg6 20. g4 Qf6 21. Qg3 Qd6 22. Rd2 Rd7 23. Bh3 Rh8 24. Ne2 Rdd8 25. Rc1 Na5 26. Bg2 c6 27. Rdc2 Nb7 28. Qe3 Rh4 29. Bf3 Rhh8 30. Ng3 Rde8 31. Qe5+ f6 32. Qe3 Nd8 33. Re2

33. ... Kf7? A critical moment. The most consistent continuation 33. ... Nf5! 34. Qxe8 Rxe8 35. Nxf5+ gxf5 36. Rxe8 Qxf4 produces a very unbalanced position in which Black is certainly not worse. Now Aleksandra Yuryevna puts Black in a squeeze: 34. Rce1 Qd7 35. Qa3! Goryachkina attacks on both wings at the same time, virtually forcing Black to give up the a-Pawn. 35. ... Nc8 36. Rxe8 Rxe8 37. Rxe8 Kxe8 38. Qxa6 Ne6 39. Ne2 Ne7 40. Qa8+ Kf7 41. Qb8!! Although only 16 years old, Goryachkina exhibits a mastery of technique that is reminiscent of all Kasparov’s “Great Predecessors”! 41. ... Qc7 42. Qxc7 Nxc7 43. Kf1 Ke6 44. Ke1 Kd6 45. Kd2 b4 46. Nc1 Ne6 47. Ke3 c5 48. dxc5+ Nxc5 49. Bd1 g5 50. fxg5 fxg5 51. f4 gxf4+ 52. Kxf4 d4 53. Be2 Nd5+ 54. Kf3 Ne6 55. Nd3 Ng5+ 56. Kg3 Ne4+ 57. Kh4 Nd2 58. g5 b3 59. a3 Ke7 60. Kh5 Nc3 61. Bg4 Nce4 62. Kh6 Nd6 63. g6 N2e4 64. g7 Nf6 65. Kg6 Nde8 66. Bd1 1 : 0.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Photo: Maria Alekseevna Emelianova