Head Over Feet

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Olga Zimina
17th European Women’s Individual Chess Championship; Mamaia, May 30, 2016
Queen’s Indian Defence E15

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 b5 6. cxb5 Bxb5 7. Bg2 d5 8. 0-0 Bd6 9. Bb2 0-0 10. Nc3 Ba6 11. Rc1 Nbd7 12. Na4 Qb8!? For 12. ... Rc8 13. Ne5 c5 see Sachdev – 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě), 1st World Mind Sports Games, Women’s Rapid Team Chess Event, 北京 (Běijīng) 2008. 13. Rc2 Bb5 14. Nc5 a5 15. Ne5 a4 16. Qc1 axb3 17. axb3 Ra2 18. f4 Qa7 19. Kh1 Nxc5 20. dxc5 Rxb2. Russian-born Italian Woman Grandmaster Olga Zimina goes for an interesting, but unnecessary Exchange sacrifice (20. ... Bxe5 seemed just as good as natural). The Bishop pair and a Pawn nearly compensate Black for her little deficit. 21. Qxb2 Bxc5 22. Qc3 Bd6 23. Ra1 Qb8 24. b4 Qb6 25. Bf3 Nd7 26. Nxd7 Bxd7 27. Kg2 Rb8 28. Rb1 g6 29. h4 h5 30. Qf6 c5 31. b5 Bf8

32. f5! Giving Black the aimed second Pawn as compensation for the Exchange, but the initiative is always more important than material. 32. ... exf5. If 32. ... gxf5 there might follow 33. Qg5+ Kh7 34. Qxh5+ Kg7 35. Qg5+ Kh7 36. g4! keeping the initiative in her own hands. 33. Qxb6 Rxb6 34. Bxd5 Rxb5 35. Rxb5 Bxb5 36. Rb2 Bd7 37. Rb6 Kg7 38. Kf3 Ba4 39. Ra6 Bb5 40. Rb6 Ba4 41. Kf4 Be7 42. Ke5 Kf8 43. Bc4 Bc2 44. Rb8+ Kg7 45. Re8 Bf8. 45. ... Bf6+ 46. Kd6 Bd4 seems to offer more balanced prospects. 46. Bd5 Bd1 47. Rd8 Bxe2 48. Rd7 Kh6 49. Kf6 c4? The move that loses the game. After 49. ... Bg7+ 50. Kxf7 Kh7 51. Rd6 White hits hard, but it’s not easy to break through the Black’s barricade. 50. Kxf7! Catching the Black King in a mating net. 50. ... Ba3. Both 50. ... c3 and 50. ... Bg7 are also met by 51. Kg8. 51. Kg8 g5 52. Rg7! gxh4 53. Bf7 1 : 0. Because mate follows by Rg7-g6.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Photo: vesti-yamal.ru.