Flying roller coaster

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)
10th Russia – China Friendship Match; Moscow, June 12, 2016
Slav Defence D10

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. e3 Bf5 4. cxd5 cxd5 5. Qb3 Qc7 6. Nc3 e6 7. e4 Bxe4 8. Bf4 Qb6 (8. ... Qxf4 9. Qxb7) 9. Nb5 Na6 10. f3 Bb4+? The Bishop seems badly placed here, causing further trouble. For 10. ... Bg6 11. Rc1 Kd8 12. h4 f6 13. Kf2 Rc8 14. Rxc8+ Kxc8 15. Be2 e5 see D. Gurevich – B. M. Kogan, 30th U.S. Chess Championship, Berkeley 1984. 11. Kd1!? Bg6 12. Rc1 Nf6? Another bad point. Both 12. ... Kd8 13. a3 Be7 and 12. ... Rd8 13. a3 Be7 offered better chances of holding on. 13. a3! e5!?? 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) takes extreme measures returning the Pawn, as after 13. ... Ba5? 14. Nd6+ Kf8 15. Qxb6 Bxb6 16. Nxb7 Bxd4 17. Bxa6 White wins, while 13. ... Be7 14. Bc7 Nxc7 15. Nxc7+ Kd7 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. Bb5+ Kd6 18. Nxa8 Rxa8 19. Ne2 would leave Black with insufficient compensation for the Exchange. Her decision is very unsound, but will bring her good luck! 14. dxe5? The wrong way. Instead, after 14. Bxe5 Be7 15. Nc7+ Nxc7 16. Qxb6 axb6 17. Rxc7 White would have achieved a dominant position. 14. ... Qf2! Maybe Pogonina was hoping for 14. ... Nh5? 15. Be3 Bc5 16. Rxc5! Nxc5 17. Qxd5 0-0 18. Qxc5 winning easily. 15. Nd6+ Kf8 16. axb4 Qxf1+ 17. Kd2 Ne4+! 18. Nxe4 (18. fxe4? Qxf4+) 18. ... Qxg2+ 19. Nf2! Qxf2+ 20. Ne2 Qb6 21. b5 Qa5+ 22. Kd1 Nc7 23. Bd2 Qb6 24. Be3 d4!? It seems pretty forced, as 24. ... Qa5? 25. b6 would be simply too unpleasant. 25. Nxd4 Rd8 26. Ke2 Nd5

27. Qa3+? A mistake which could cause unhappy consequences. White should have played 27. Nf5! Qe6 28. Bc5+ Kg8 29. Ne7+ Nxe7 30. Qxe6 fxe6 31. Bxe7, although after 31. ... Rd5! (31. ... Re8? 32. Rc7 gives no hope at all) 32. Rc8+ Kf7 33. Rxh8 Rxe5+ 34. Kf2 Kxe7 Black should get enough compensation to hope for a draw. 27. ... Kg8 28. Qc5 h6 29. Rhd1 Kh7 30. Kf2 Rhe8 31. Qxb6 axb6 32. f4 Be4. 32. ... Bh5! 33. Nf3 (33. Rd2 g5!) 33. ... f6 seems to promise something more than the text. 33. Bd2 f6 34. Re1. Or 34. e6 f5 with a more pleasant position for Black. 34. ... Nxf4!? 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) offers a funny solution, but it appears that 34. ... fxe5! 35. Rxe4 Nf6 followed by ... Rd8xd4! would have left White to struggle for a draw. 35. Rxe4 Nd3+ 36. Ke3 Nxc1 37. Bxc1 Rxe5 38. Rxe5 fxe5. A hard-fought battle ended up in an unbalanced equality. 39. Nf3 Rd5 40. Bd2 Rxb5 41. Bc3 Rc5 42. Nxe5 b5 43. Kd4 b6 44. h4 g5 45. hxg5 hxg5 46. Bd2 Rc2 47. Bxg5 Rxb2 48. Bd8 Rd2+ 49. Nd3 Rxd3+ 50. Kxd3 ½ : ½.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina vs. 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng)
Photo: ruchess.ru