Stepping Out

Mariya Muzychuk – 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)
Women’s Grand Prix; third stage; Batumi, April 23, 2016
Italian Game C54

1. e4. Starting over from the beginning. 1. ... e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 Bxd2+ 8. Nbxd2 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. 0-0 0-0 11. Rc1. An old try is 11. Re1 Nf4!? 12. Ne4? Bg4! 13. Qd2! Nh3+! 14. gxh3 Bxf3 15. d5! Ne5 16. Qf4! (Dubois – Steinitz, London 1862, match game 5) and now 11th World Chess Champion Robert James Fischer recommends 16. ... Nxc4 17. Qxf3 Nd6 with equality. 11. ... Nf6!? There is nothing wrong with it, but 11. ... Nb6 12. Bb3 Bg4 appears to be strategically more consistent, Minić – L. Portisch, Zonal Tournament, Halle 1967. 12. Qa4 Ne7 13. Ne5 c6 14. Qb3 Ned5 15. Rfe1. The alternative 15. Qf3 Nb6 doesn’t worry Black at all, Heimann – Moor, 16th Neckar Open, Deizisau 2012. 15. ... Qb6 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. f3 Ra4

18. Ne4. Mariya offers a (temporary) positional Pawn sacrifice to keep Black bottled up. 18. ... b5 19. Bb3 Rxd4 20. Nd6 Rd2 21. Rcd1 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 h5 23. h4. White insists in capitalizing on her slight dynamic advantage as recovering the Pawn by 22. Nxb5 Re8 would lead to a more or less equal position. 22. ... h5 23. h4 g6 24. Rd4. Intending g2-g4-g5 followed by a Knight sacrifice on f7. 24. ... Kg7 25. g4 hxg4 26. fxg4 c5. That’s the saving clause and, of course, 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) didn’t miss it. Now there follows a massive liquidation leading to a draw. 27. Rxd5 Nxd5 28. Bxd5 f6 29. Nef7 Bxg4 30. Nxb7 Rxf7 31. Bxf7 Kxf7 32. Nxc5 Ke7 33. a4 Kd6 34. b4 bxa4 35. Nxa4 g5 ½ : ½.

Mariya Muzychuk (R.) vs. 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) (L.)
Photo: Anastasiya Valeryevna Karlovich