It’s Never Easy

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
4th Trophée KARPOV; Cap d’Agde, October 24, 2015
French Defence C15

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Ne2 dxe4 5. a3 Be7 6. Nxe4 Nf6 7. N2g3 0-0 8. c3 Nbd7 9. Bd3 c5 10. dxc5 Nxc5 11. Nxc5. If 11. Nxf6+ then 11. ... Kh8 12. Bxh7 Qxd1+ 13. Kxd1 Rd8+ as in Hajnal – Broomfield, Budapest 2003. 11. ... Bxc5 12. 0-0. Or 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Qe2 Nd5 as in Berg – González Menéndez, 30th European Junior Chess Championship, Avilés 2000. 12. ... b6 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Bxe4 Ba6 15. Bxa8 Bxf1 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17. Kxf1 Rxa8 18. Ke2 Kf8 19. a4 Ke7 20. b4 Bd6 21. a5 b5 22. a6 Kd7 23. Be3 Kc6 24. g4 Bc7 25. Rd1 Rc8 26. Bd4. Obviously, if 26. Bxa7 then 26. ... Ra8 27. Bd4 e5 with an absolutely equal position. 26. ... g6? This weakens the dark squares enormously. It seems to me that after 26. ... f6 Black would have had no problems at all. 27. h4 Bb6 28. Bf6 Rg8 29. Rd3 h5? Black does not stand at all well, but this move makes things even worse. 29. ... Re8 30. f4 Bc7 31. Kf3 appears a lesser evil. 30. g5 Re8 31. f4 Bc7 32. Be5! Rb8

33. Ke3? Apparently, Mariya Olehivna lets her sister slip away. The right way is 33. Bxc7! Kxc7 34. Kf3 Rb6 35. Ke4 Rxa6 36. Ke5 and White’s King decisively penetrates. 33. ... Rb6? But Anna totally overlooks her saving clause: after 33. ... Bxe5! 34. fxe5 Rb6 35. Ke4 Rxa6 36. Rd6+ Kb7 37. Rd7+ Kc6 38. Rxf7 Ra1 Black should be able to hold her own. 34. Ke4. Black is not given a second chance! 34. ... Rxa6 35. Bxc7 Kxc7 36. Ke5. The rest is easy. 36. ... Ra3. The editor of Шахи.укр (Shakhy.ukr) calls this “a fatal mistake”, recommending instead 36. ... Rc6 37. Kf6 e5+ 38. Kxf7, but after 38. ... exf4 39. Rf3 Black’s game looks hopeless anyway. 37. Kf6 a5 38. bxa5 b4 39. Rd4 Rxa5 40. Kxf7 bxc3 41. Rc4+ Kd6 42. Rxc3 Rf5+ 43. Kxg6 Rxf4 44. Kxh5 e5 45. g6 Ke6 46. Kg5 Rf1 47. h5 Rg1+ 48. Kh6 e4 49. g7 Kf7 50. Rc7+ Kf6 51. Kh7 1 : 0.

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk (left) vs. Anna Olehivna Muzychuk (right). Photo © Pierre Textoris/CapÉchecs