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Mariya Muzychuk – Humpy Koneru
Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Monte Carlo, October 11, 2015
Spanish C81

1. e4! “Best by test”, Robert James Fischer asserted. 1. ... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4. “Normally I play this line with Black and what happened in the game it’s better for White”, then Mariya said. 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. Qe2 Be7 10. Rd1 0-0 11. c4 bxc4 12. Bxc4 Bc5 13. Be3 Bxe3 14. Qxe3 Qb8 15. Bb3 Qb6 16. Qxb6 cxb6 17. Na3 Rfd8. For 17. ... Nc5 18. Bxd5 Bxd5 19. Rxd5 Rfd8 20. Rad1 Rxd5 21. Rxd5 Nb4 22. Rd4 Nxa2 see Kosteniuk – M. Muzychuk, 5th Women’s World Team Chess Championship, 成都 (Chéngdū) 2015. 18. Nc2 Nc5. For 18. ... Na5 19. Nb4 Nc4 20. Bxc4 dxc4 21. Nxa6 Rxd1+ 22. Rxd1 h6 see Tukmakov – Kortschnoi, 41st USSR Chess Championship, Moscow 1973. 19. Ncd4 Nb4!? Theoretical novelty, as far as we know. Both 19. ... Nxb3 20. axb3 Nb4 21. Ne1 Rdc8 22. f4 (Perunović – Ringoir, 19th European Team Chess Championship, Warsaw 2013) and 19. ... Nxd4 20. Nxd4 Rac8 21. Rac1 Nxb3 22. axb3 g5 23. f3 Bd7 24. g3 a5 25. f4 (Manca – Di Fonzo, 18th International Festival Conca della Presolana, Bratto 1998) seem to give White the upper hand. 20. a3 Nbd3 21. Rd2 Nxb3 22. Nxb3 Nc5 23. Nxc5 bxc5 24. Rc1 Rdc8 25. Rdc2 Rab8 26. Rxc5 Rxc5 27. Rxc5 Rxb2 28. h3 Rb3 29. Ra5

29. ... Bxh3? A very impatient Bishop sacrifice for two Pawns, but, as the followup will demonstrate, it does not give Black sufficient compensation. If 29. ... Rb6 then 30. Nd4 g5!? 31. f3 with a slight but long-lasting edge for White. 30. Rxd5 h6. “[...] I did not see that it’s mate in the end of the variation [...] 30. ... Kf8 31. Nd4 (31. Nd2? Be6=) 31. ... Rb1+ 32. Kh2 Be6 33. Rd8+ Ke7 34. Nc6 mate”, then Humpy admitted. On the other hand, if 32. ... Bg4 – instead of 32. ... Be6 – there follows 33. f3 Bh5 34. Rd8+ Ke7 35. Nc6+ Ke6 36. g4 and White delivers a mating attack. 31. Nd2 Rxa3 32. gxh3 Rxh3 33. Nc4 Rh4 34. Rd8+ Kh7 35. Nd6 Rd4 36. Rf8 Rd1+ 37. Kg2 Re1 38. Nxf7 g5 39. Re8 a5 40. Re6 a4 41. Ra6 a3 42. Rxa3 Kg6 43. Ra7 g4 44. Nh8+ Kf5 45. Rf7+ Kg5 46. Rg7+ Kf4 47. Nf7 h5 48. Rh7 Kf5 49. Rxh5+ Kg6 50. Rh1 Rxh1 51. Kxh1 Kxf7 52. Kg2 Ke6 53. Kg3 Kxe5 54. Kxg4 Kf6 55. Kf4 1 : 0.

Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly, director of chess magazine Europe Échecs, making the first move in the game Mariya Muzychuk vs. Humpy Koneru. Photo: FIDE Grand Prix 2015.