That Lucky Old Sun

Anastasia Travkina – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
23rd Russian Women’s Team Chess Championship; Sochi, May 9, 2016
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 Nd7 8. Qd2 0-0 9. 0-0-0 Nf6 10. Bd3. Another try is 10. Kb1 c5 11. h4 b5 12. h5 Rb8 13. h6 g6 14. Ng5 Rb6 15. Be2 Bd7 16. Bf3 Bf5 17. Rhe1 d5 18. Qe2 Qd7 19. Bc1 Re8 20. Qd2 Rd6 21. Qf4 Ra6 22. g4 Ra4 23. Qg3 (23. b4! was far stronger) 23. ... Bxg4 24. Bxg4 Rxg4 25. Qf3 Ra4 26. Re5 Rf8 27. Rde1 Bd8 28. Qe2 Rh4 29. f3 b4 30. Qf2 Rc4 31. cxb4 cxb4 32. b3 Rc3 33. Qd4 a5 34. Bb2 Rc6 35. Qd2 d4 36. Qxd4 Rd6 37. Qg1 Bb6 38. Qf1 Bd4 (Black should have played 38. ... Rd8 holding together her own household) 39. Bxd4 Rxd4 40. Ne4 Nxe4 41. fxe4 Rc8 42. Rd5 Qc6 43. Qe2 (White misses the chance to consolidate an advantage by 43. c4!) 43. ... Qc3 44. Qf2 Rd8 45. Rf1 f5 46. Rxd8+ Rxd8 47. Qb6 Re8 48. Rd1? (It is not clear why Pogonina did not play 48. Qxa5) 48. ... Qf3?? (Kosteniuk misses 48. ... fxe4 getting herself closer and closer to a draw) 49. Qd4 Re7 50. Qc4+ Kf8 51. Rd8+ Re8 52. Qc5+ Kf7 53. Qd5+ Kf8 54. Qd6+ Kf7 55. Rd7+ 1 : 0 Pogonina – Kosteniuk, 61st Russian Women’s Chess Championship, Moscow 2011. 10. ... c5 11. c4. This makes no good impression as it gives Black a target for ... b7-b5. A more critical line is 11. Rhe1 d5 12. c4 d4 13. Bg5 Be6 14. c3 b5!? with a very complex position, T. Kosintseva – Kosteniuk, Women’s Grand Prix, Nalchik 2011. 11. ... b5! 12. cxb5 a6 13. Qe2? White is pursuing a wrong idea, but of course she does not know it. Here 13. bxa6 was mandatory, after which Black would have most likely developed a Benkö Counter-Gambit-like strategy by 13. ... Bxa6. 13. ... axb5

14. Bxc5 dxc5!! No wonder Travkina was caught by surprise by Alexandra Konstantinovna’s brilliant Queen sacrifice, after having done so much for threatening her! 15. Bxh7+ Nxh7 16. Rxd8 Bxd8. Black’s position is overwhelming, both materially and dynamically. 17. h4. Most chess engines flash the red light, but, whatever she plays, White’s King is defenceless. For instance, if 17. a3 then 17. ... b4, while after both 17. Kb1 Be6 and 17. Qxb5 Rxa2 18. Kb1 Be6 White’s King look like an archery target. 17. ... Rxa2 18. Kb1 Be6 19. Qe4. 19. b3 is met by 19. ... Bf6 with an irresistible attack, while if 19. Qxb5 there might follow 19. ... Bc7! (threatening ... Rf8-b8) 20. Qxc5 Rfa8 winning easily. 19. ... Nf6 20. Qb7 Bd5 21. Qxb5 Bc7 22. Qxc5 Rfa8 23. b3 Ra1+ 24. Kb2 R8a2+ 25. Kc3 Ne4+ 0 : 1.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk
Photo: Mikhail Sholudko/Chess-News.ru