The Theory of Everything

Mariya Muzychuk – Bela Khotenashvili
Women’s Grand Prix; third stage; Batumi, May 2, 2016
Caro-Kann Defence B19

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. 0-0-0 Be7 13. Kb1 0-0 14. Ne4 Nxe4 15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qe2 Qd5 17. Ne5. For 17. Be3 Ng4 (for 17. ... Rad8 18. Ne5 Nd7 19. Nd3 see (侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Lalith Babu, 13rd Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2013) 18. Bf4 Qf5 19. g3 Nf6 20. Ne5 c5 21. dxc5 Bxc5 22. f3 Rac8 23. Bc1 Nd5 24. g4 Qh7 25. g5 see M. Muzychuk – Khotenashvili, 4th SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Rapid Event, 北京 (Beijīng) 2014. Apparently both Mariya Muzychuk and her recent opponent in the Women’s World Chess Championship match share the same theoretical taste. 17. ... Qe4 18. Qxe4 Nxe4 19. Be1. For 19. Be3 Rfd8 20. g4 c5 21. f3 cxd4 22. Bxd4 Bc5 see 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Negi, Saint Louis 2015, Showdown Blitz match game 8. 19. ... Bd6. After 19. ... Rac8 20. f3 Nd6 21. g4 Rfd8 22. Bf2 Bf6 23. Rhe1 Nb5 24. f4 Rd6 25. c4 Nc7 26. Nf3 b5 27. g5 White obtained a powerful bind (even though she was not able to capitalize on it), M. Muzychuk – Gunina, 40th Women’s Chess Olympiad, Istanbul 2012. If, instead, 19. ... Rfd8 then 20. f3 Nf6 21. Bf2 Rac8 22. g4 Nd7 23. Nd3 with a slight edge, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Gunina, 3rd SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Basque Event, 北京 (Beijīng) 2013. 20. f3 Nf6 21. g4 Rfc8 22. Bh4 Nd5 23. Rhe1 b5 24. Nd3 a5 25. c3 a4 26. a3 c5. It’s very hard to get something out of the soporific Caro-Kann, unless you play like Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov was able to do in the ’80s. 27. dxc5 Bxc5 28. Nxc5 Rxc5 29. Rd4 Rac8 30. Ree4 Kh7 31. Kc2

31. ... Nxc3! The position is equal, but Khotenashvili finds a very convincing – and elegant as well – way to draw, sacrificing her Knight for three Pawns. 32. bxc3 Rxc3+ 33. Kd2 Rxa3 34. Rb4 Rc5 35. Be7 Rd5+ 36. Red4 Rxd4+ 37. Rxd4 Rxf3. Black gained a fourth Pawn, but she cannot hope for anything more than a draw. 38. Rb4 Rg3 39. Bd6 Rg2+ 40. Ke3 a3 41. Rxb5 Rxg4 42. Ra5 Rg5. Spes, ultima dea. 43. Rxg5 hxg5 44. Bxa3 Kh6 45. Bf8 f5 46. Kf3 e5 47. Kf2 g4 48. Bd6 e4 49. Kg3! Only thus can the peace be agreed. Not 49. Bf8?? Kxh5 50. Bxg7 f4 and Black wins. 49. ... Kxh5 50. Kf4 g6 51. Be7 Kh6 52. Bh4 Kg7 53. Kg5 Kf7 54. Bg3 Kg7 55. Be5+ Kf7 56. Bf4 Kg7 57. Be5+ Kf7 58. Bf4 Kg7 ½ : ½.

Bela Khotenashvili
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili

Mariya Muzychuk vs. Bela Khotenashvili
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili