Jeanne d’Arc

Romain Édouard – Anna Olehivna Muzychuk
4th Trophée KARPOV; Cap d’Agde, October 25, 2015
Sicilian Defence B31

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. 0-0 Bg7 6. e5 f6 7. Qe2 fxe5 8. Nxe5 d6 9. Nc4 Nf6. For 9. ... Nh6 10. d3 0-0 11. f4 Bg4 12. Qe1 Qd7 see Gajek – Klekowski, 51st Rubinstein Memorial, Polanica-Zdrój 2015. 10. Re1 Nd5 11. Qf3 Bf5 12. Nc3 Nb4 13. d3 0-0 14. Qe2 Qd7 15. Bg5 Rae8 16. Qd2 Nd5 17. Bh6 Bxh6 18. Qxh6 e5 19. Ne4 Bxe4 20. dxe4 Nf4. So far, Miss Anna Muzychuk has played very resourcefully and Édouard, by his next move – either a mistake or a bold sacrifice :) – allows her to win the Queen against Rook and Knight. 21. Qh4

21. ... Nxg2! 22. Kxg2 Rf4 23. Qg3 Rg4 24. Rad1 Rxg3+ 25. hxg3 d5 26. exd5 cxd5 27. Nxe5 Qb7 28. b3 d4+ 29. f3 Qb4 30. Re2 Qc3. Here and there Black could surely have played better. As a matter of fact, however, Édouard gradually manages to come out well enough for hoping to survive. 31. Rde1 a5 32. a4 Kg7 33. f4 h5 34. Kh3 Re6 35. Kg2 c4 36. bxc4 Qb4 37. Rd1 Rd6 38. Rd3 Qxa4 39. Rb3 Qe8 40. c5 Rd5 41. c6 Rc5 42. Rb7+ Kg8 43. c7? Just when he thinks the worst is over, Édouard becomes too ambitious. He should have ceded the Pawn with definite chances of a draw. 43. ... Qa8. Naturally! 44. Nc6 Qxb7 45. Re8+ Kf7 46. c8Q Qxc6+ 47. Qxc6 Rxc6 48. Ra8 Rxc2+ 49. Kh3 Rc5 50. Rd8 a4 51. Ra8 Rc4 52. Kg2 d3 53. Kf2 Rd4. There’s nothing wrong with this move, but 53. ... Re4! 54. Rd8 a3! 55. Rxd3 Ra4 56. Rd1 a2 57. Ra1 Ke6 is an elementary win for Black – Bobby Fischer would call it a prearranged win, referring to Kasparov – Karpov, Moscow 1984, World Chess Championship match game 6. 54. Ke1 d2+ 55. Kd1 Ke6 56. Ra5 Kf6 57. Ra6+ Kf5 58. Ra5+ Ke4 59. Ra6 Kd3 60. Rxg6 Kc3? 60. ... Rd5! would still have given Black serious winning chances. 61. Ra6 Rb4 62. Rc6+ Kb2 63. Kxd2 a3 64. Rc2+ Kb3 65. Rc3+ Ka4 66. Rc8 a2 67. Kc2 a1N+ 68. Kd2 Nb3+ 69. Ke3 Nd4 70. Rc5 Ne6 71. Rxh5 Rb3+ 72. Kf2 Kb4 73. f5 Nd4 74. Rh4 Kc5 75. Rf4 Kd5 76. f6 Ne6 77. f7 ½ : ½.