The Long Walk Home

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Nana Dzagnidze
Women’s Grand Prix 2015–2016; 3rd stage; Batumi, May 1, 2016
Hungarian Defence C50

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 d6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. d4 exd4 6. Nxd4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 Bf6 8. Qd3. For 8. Qd5 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qe7 10. Bb5+ Kd8 11. Qd4 Nf6 12. f3 take a look at 韦奕 (Wéi Yì) – 吴文瑾 (Wú Wénjǐn), 9th “弈诚杯” (“Yìchéng Cup”) Chinese Chess League, 天津 (Tiānjīn) 2013. 8. ... Ne7 9. f4. Colourless is 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Nd5 Nc6 11. Nxf6+ Qxf6 12. Bb5 Bd7 ½ : ½ O’Kelly de Galway – Barcza, Zagreb 1955. 9. ... 0-0 10. 0-0 Be6 11. Bxe6 fxe6 12. Ne2 b6 13. Qb3 Qd7 14. Be3 Kh8. That’s a really bad idea. Black should hasty to harmonize her position by ... Ne7-c6-a5. 15. Rad1 Ng8. As consistent as bad. 16. e5. Black is in serious trouble. 16. ... Be7 17. Nd4 d5

18. Qb5. Both 18. f5! (18. ... exf5 19. e6) and 18. c4! (18. ... c5 19. Nxe6! Qxe6 20. cxd5) would have offered White far more dynamic perspectives for a vehement breakthrough into her opponent’s castle, but Kosteniuk, feeling a bit insecure, prefers not to take any risk and ensure a smaller but longer-lasting edge. 18. ... Qxb5 19. Nxb5 Rfc8 20. f5 exf5 21. Rxf5 c6 22. Nd4 c5 23. Nb5 d4 24. Bf4 Rf8 25. Rxf8 Rxf8 26. g3 g5 27. Bc1 a6 28. Nc7 h6 29. Rf1 Rc8? It looks like a suicide. 29. ... Rxf1+ 30. Kxf1 a5 gave Black better drawing chances. 30. Nd5 Rc6 31. Kg2 Kg7 32. Kf3 Re6 33. Ke4. An impressive display of centralized power. Black is quite helpless. 33. ... Bd6 34. Rf5 Bb8 35. h4! gxh4 36. gxh4 Rg6 37. Rf2 Rg1 38. Bd2 Rg4+. Black can save everything but the game: if 38. ... b5 then 39. h5 Rh1 40. Nf4 with a hugely dominant position. 39. Kf5 h5 40. Nxb6 Ne7+. On 40. ... Rxh4 41. Nd7 Black loses a Pawn anyway, for if 41. ... Ba7 then 42. Nf6 winning easily. 41. Ke6 Ng6 42. Nd7 Bxe5 43. Nxe5 Re4 44. Rf7+ 1 : 0.

Kosteniuk vs. Dzagnidze. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili