盲點

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)
Women’s Grand Prix; third stage; Batumi, May 1, 2016
Bogo-Indian Defence E11

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 c5 5. Bxb4 cxb4 6. g3 0-0 7. Bg2 d6 8. 0-0 Qb6 9. Qd3!? For 9. a3 Nc6 10. axb4 Qxb4 11. b3 e5 12. d5 Nb8 13. Ne1 see Shimanov – Fluviá Poyatos, Spanish Team Chess Championship Honour Division, León 2012. 9. ... Rd8 10. Nbd2 e5 11. Ne4 Nbd7 12. Rad1 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Re8 14. Qc2 h6 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Rd5 e4!?? With her typical style, 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) plays on the razor’s edge and doesn’t hesitate to offer quite a controversial Pawn sacrifice. 17. Nd4 Nf6 18. Rb5. The Knight sacrifice is mere appearance, for after 18. ... Qxd4?? 19. Rd1 Her Majesty would be trapped. 18. ... Qc7. This is the consistent corollary of her previous 16. ... e4. In fact, if 18. ... Qd6 19. Rd1 Qe7 then 20. c5 a5 21. c6! with very pleasant perspectives for White. 19. Rxb4 Bd7 20. c5 Rac8 21. Rc1 a5 22. Rc4. Not 22. Rb6? Re5 and the c-Pawn falls. 22. ... b5! 23. cxb6 Qxb6 24. Qb3

24. ... Qxd4! 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)’s Queen sacrifice for Rook and Knight is undoubtedly her best practical chance since now all three outcomes are possible! 25. Rxd4 Rxc1+ 26. Bf1 Rec8. 26. ... Bh3? is met by 27. Rd1 winning instantly. 27. Kg2. Clearly not 27. Rd1?? on account of 27. ... a4 and Black wins. 27. ... Re1?? 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) is just getting too excited and chases a mirage – the text threatens ... Rc8-c1, but she overlooked a detail of some importance. Europe Échecs’ editor-in-chief Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly recommends: “First, she should have attacked the Queen by 27. ... Be6 for not leaving her own Bishop undefended, and after 28. Qb7 Rb1! in order to take on b2 at the end of the variation: 29. Qxc8+ Bxc8 30. Rd8+ Kh7 31. Rxc8 Rxb2 with equality”. 28. Rxd7! A very easy refutation. 28. ... Nxd7 29. Qb7 Nb6. 29. ... Rcc1 30. Qxd7 Rxf1 31. Qe8+ Kh7 32. Qxe4+ g6 33. Qe7 makes no difference as White will equally win the a5-Pawn, getting two (deadly) united passed Pawns. 30. Qxb6 Rcc1 31. Qxa5 1 : 0.

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina vs. 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili