Fast & Furious

Nino Batsiashvili – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Tehran, February 14, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 c6 7. Qc2 Be7 8. h3 Nf8 9. e3 Ng6 10. Bd3. A responsible move. For 10. Bh2 0-0 11. Bd3 Re8 12. Ne5 Bd6 13. f4 c5 see Gelfand – Short, Brussels 1991, match game 8. 10. ... Nxf4 11. exf4 0-0 12. g4!?

12. ... Ne4! Pogonina decides to sacrifice a Pawn trying to seize the initiative. 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Bxe4 f5 15. Bd3 Bb4+ 16. Kf1 Kh8 17. Rg1 Bd6 18. Ne5? Batsiashvili should have consistently played 18. gxf5(!) with unclear prospects. 18. ... Qh4. Now Black can launch the assault. 19. gxf5 Bxe5 20. dxe5 Qxh3+ 21. Ke2 Bxf5 22. Rg3 Qh5+ 23. Ke3 Rad8 24. Bxf5 Rxf5 25. Qe4 Qf7 26. Rag1? Much better was 26. Rh1 which allows White in certain variations to threaten Rg3xg6. 26. ... g6 27. b3 c5 28. Qc4 Qe7. Now Nino rapidly disintegrates, but of course her position was hopeless anyway due to Black’s domination of the d-file. 29. Rc1 b6 30. Qa6 Qd7 31. Rc4 Qd3 mate.

Nino Batsiashvili vs. Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Photo: Alina l’Ami