The Waiting Game

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Fredrik Aunan Lindsoe
11th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival; Catalan Bay, January 22, 2013
Sicilian Defence B25

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bg7 6. Be3 b6 7. Qd2 Qc7 8. 0-0-0! Castling sharply. 8. ... Bb7 9. f4 Rd8. All things considered, Black could also castle Queenside. 10. Nf3 Nf6 11. h3 a5. Black’s plan of counter-play appears quite optimistic. 12. g4 Bc8 13. Qf2 h6? A decidedly bad idea – the same as to keep the King in the centre. 13. ... 0-0 14. f5 Nd7 15. Kb1 was not so pleasant, but would have been a lesser evil. 14. f5 g5. Strangely enough, Black relied on this kind of “blockade”. 15. d4! White starts her attack by energetically opening up the centre. 15. ... cxd4. 15. .:. b5 16. e5! is no better. 16. Bxd4 Qf4+ 17. Kb1 c5 18. Bxf6 Rxd1+ 19. Rxd1 exf6 20. Nd5 Qb8. This enables White to carry off a series of brilliant coups, but there were no more good moves left. 21. e5! fxe5 22. f6 Bf8 23. Nxe5! Be6 24. Qe2. Threatening 25. Qb5+ Kd8 26. Ne7+ Kc7 27. Qc6 mate. 24. ... b5. This is a typical case where the remedy is worse than the disease.

25. Qxb5+! Qxb5 26. Nc7 mate. Elegant checkmate!

Muzychuk holding the Black Queen. Photo: MonRoi.