Pootharekulu

Humpy Koneru – 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)
Women’s Grand Prix; 4th stage; 成都 (Chéngdū), July 3, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 0-0 8. Rc1 Qd8 9. Qb3. Another try (evidently improvable on the Black’s part) is 9. a3 Be7 10. Qc2 a6 11. Bd3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd7 13. Ba2 Bd6 14. Bb1 g6 15. h4 with a powerful attack, Melkumyan – Lenič, 1st Austrian Bundesliga 2013/2014, Wolfsberg 2014. 9. ...Ba5 10. Bd3 c6 11. 0-0 Nd7 12. Rfd1 Qe7. 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) suggested afterwards 12. ... f5 (intending ... Qf8-f6 followed by ... g7-g5) as “a very entertaining idea”. 13. a3 Nf6 14. Qc2 Bc7 15. h3 Bd7 16. Ne5 Rad8 17. Qe2 Bc8 18. Bb1 c5 19. cxd5 exd5 20. f4 a6 21. Qf3 Rfe8 22. Ba2 cxd4. This is a questionable decision, even though maybe it’s not so bad. The strategic alternative was 22. ... c4 23. Bb1 (Koneru gives 23. b3 b5 24. Nc6 Qxa3 as a line “where Black can complicate matters”) 23. ... Qf8 in order to answer 24. g4 by 24. ... b5 with a very double-edged position. 23. exd4 Bb6 24. Bxd5. Instead, 24. Nxd5 Nxd5 25. Rxc8 Rxc8 26. Bxd5 Rf8 27. Ng6 Qf6 28. Nxf8 Bxd4+ 29. Kh1 Rxf8 does not seem to offer any significant advantage. 24. ... Be6 25. Bxb7 Rxd4 26. Kh1

26. ... Rxf4? This seems a serious error in judgment: Black sacrifices the Exchange in order to regain the Pawn (for no other material compensation), evidently overestimating the strength of her Bishop pair. 27. Qxf4 Qxb7 28. Qf3. For a refined positional player such as Koneru, it’s not too hard to convert her plusses into a win. 28. ... Qc7 29. Nd3 Qb8 30. Nf4 Bb3 31. Re1 Rd8 32. Ne4 Nxe4 33. Rxe4 Ba5 34. Re3 Ba4 35. b4 Bb6 36. Rd3 Re8 37. Nd5 Bb5 38. Rd2 Bd8 39. Rf2 Bh4? The last mistake, by now in desperate position. After 39. ... Rf8 40. Rfc2 White would have won more prosaically, if anything else. 40. Qxf7+ Kh8 41. Rc7. Black could well resign here. 41. ... Re1+. Or 41. ... Rg8 42. Nf6 and wins. 42. Kh2 Be7 43. g3 Be8 44. Qf4 1 : 0.

Humpy Koneru vs. 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě)
Photo: qipai.org.cn