An Indian Affair

Harika Dronavalli – Humpy Koneru
Women’s Grand Prix; 4th stage; 成都 (Chéngdū), July 9, 2016
Giuoco Piano C54

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. 0-0 Nf6 5. d3 0-0 6. h3 Re8 7. a4 h6 8. Re1 a6 9. c3 d6 10. Nbd2 Be6 11. Bxe6. For 11. a5 Qd7 12. Nh2 Rad8 13. Qf3 d5 14. Bb3 dxe4 15. dxe4 Bxb3 16. Nxb3 Bf8 see Shchukin – Aleksandrov, 15th Voronezh Master Open, Voronezh 2011. 11. ... Rxe6 12. b4 Ba7 13. Qc2 Re8. The alternative was 13. ... Qd7 14. Nf1 Ree8 15. Be3 Bxe3 16. Nxe3 Nd8 17. Nc4 Ne6 18. a5 Rad8 19. Rad1 Nf4 20. Kh2 Qc6 21. Qb3 Ng6 22. Kg1 d5 23. exd5 Qxd5 24. d4 exd4 25. Rxd4 Qf5 26. Nce5 Nxe5 27. Rxe5 Qc8 28. b5 Rd6 29. Qc4 axb5 30. Rxb5 Rxd4 31. cxd4 Ne4 32. Re5 ½ : ½ van Foreest – Tkachiev, 1st Hasselbacken Open, Stockholm 2016. 14. Nf1 b5 15. Ng3 Ne7 16. d4 Nd7 17. Be3 Ng6 18. Nf5 Ne7 19. Ng3 Ng6 20. Nf5 Ne7 21. dxe5. Harika refuses to repeat moves. 21. ... Bxe3 22. Nxe3 Nxe5 23. Nxe5 dxe5 24. Red1 Qc8 25. c4. As suggested by Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly in his commentary for Europe Échecs, 25. axb5 axb5 26. Rxa8 Qxa8 27. Rd7 was also good. 25. ... bxa4 26. Qxa4. White stands a little better, but not yet enough. 26. ... Qb7 27. Nd5 c6 28. Nxe7+ Qxe7 29. c5 Qb7 30. Rd6 Rec8 31. Qa5 Rab8 32. Ra4 Qb5!? Kouatly calls it “A responsible decision”. 33. Qxb5 Rxb5

34. f3! 34. Rxa6? Rxb4 35. Raxc6 Rxc6 36. Rxc6 Rxe4 would lead nowhere. 34. ... a5? Humpy was clearly under pressure, and finally commits the decisive error. 35. bxa5! Rxc5 36. a6 Kf8 37. Rd7! Ke8 38. Rb7 Rb5 39. h4 g6 40. Kh2 h5. Time control reached, Black’s situation is by now hopeless. 41. Ra2 Kf8 42. Kg3 Kg7 43. Rd7 c5 44. a7 Ra8 45. Rc7 Rb4 45. Rc7 Rb4 46. Kf2 c4 47. Ke2 Rb3 48. Rd2 Ra3 49. Rdd7 Rf8 50. Rxc4 Ra2+ 51. Ke3 Ra3+ 52. Kd2 Ra2+ 53. Rc2 Ra6 54. Kc1 g5 55. hxg5 Kg6 56. Rb7 Ra8 57. Rcc7 Kxg5 58. Rxf7 Kh4 59. Kb1 Kg3 60. Rg7+ Kf2 61. Kb2 h4 62. Kb3 h3 63. gxh3 Kxf3 64. h4 Kxe4 65. h5 Kd3 66. Rgd7+ Ke3 67. Kb4 e4 68. Kb5 Rh6 69. Rh7 Re6 70. Rb8 Rxa7 71. Rxa7 Re5+ 72. Kc4 Rxh5 73. Ra3+ Kf4 74. Rf8+ 1 : 0.

Harika Dronavalli vs. Humpy Koneru
Photo: qipai.org.cn