Haunting Sunshine

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
23rd Russian Women’s Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 1, 2016
Caro-Kann Defence B10

1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. cxd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bb5 g6 8. Qa4 Qd6 9. Ne4. For 9. 0-0 Bg7 10. Ne4 Qc7 see Gara – Thorsteinsdottir, 10th European Women’s Team Chess Championship, Warsaw 2013. 9. ... Qe6. On 9. ... Qd7 10. Ne5 would only help White. 10. Ng5 Qd7 11. Nc5 Qc7. Lagno moved only Knights trying to haunt the enemy Queen. She will have to be content with only one Pawn. 12. 0-0. Grandmaster Dmitry Kryakvin recommends 12. Qd4! Nf6 13. Qc4! e6 14. Qc3! Be7 15. Nge4 e5 16. Bxc6+ bxc6 17. Nxf6+ Bxf6 18. d3 and all results are possible. 12. ... Bg7 13. Bc4 Qd8. Not 13. ... e6?? 14. Bxd5 exd5 15. Re1+ Kf8 16. Qa3! Ne7 17. Qf3 with an irresistible attack. 14. Nxb7 Bxb7 15. Qb5 0-0! 16. Qxb7. 16. Bxd5 Qd7! is hardly better and implies consequences similar to those of the game: Black’s development more than compensate for the Pawn. 16. ... Ndb4! Threatening to trap Her Majesty by ... Ra8-b8. 17. Qb5 Rb8 18. Qa4 Ne5! 19. Be2? It was better to give up a Pawn by 19. d3(!) for freeing a bit than to be crushed by Black’s overwhelming development advantage. 19. ... Ned3! 20. Nf3. 20. Qxa7 Nc2 21. Rb1 Qd5 22. Nf3 Nd4 23. Bxd3 Nxf3+ 24. gxf3 Qxd3 is of no avail (Kryakvin’s analysis). 20. ... e5! Goryachkina plays with glaring energy. 21. a3 Nf4! 22. Bd1 Nbd3 23. g3. If 23. Ne1 there might follow 23. ... Qg5 24. g3 Nh3+ 25. Kg2 Nhxf2! (Kryakvin’s analysis). 23. ... Nc5 24. Qc4 Nfd3 25. Bc2 e4! 26. Bxd3. 26. Ne1 Rc8 is no better at all. 26. ... Nxd3 27. Qxe4 Re8 28. Qa4. Also 28. Qg4 Rc8 is totally hopeless.

28. ... Qd5! “Taking up a dominant position. It is remarkable how helpless White is”, Grandmaster Kevin Spraggett wrote. 29. Nh4. “29. Qd1 does not help: 29. ... Bxb2 30. Bxb2 Nxb2 and the Knight is lost”, Spraggett said. 29. ... Nxf2! 0 : 1. For if 30. Kxf2 then 30. ... Bd4+, while if 30. Rxf2 then 30. ... Re1+ 31. Rf1 Bd4+ finis.

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lahno vs. Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina. Photo: ruchess.ru