The High Cost of Low Price

Anna Muzychuk – Olga Alexandrovna Girya
Women’s Grand Prix; 4th stage; 成都 (Chéngdū), July 3, 2016
Caro-Kann Defence B12

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 Qc7!? For 4. ... a6 5. h5 h6 6. g4 Bd7 7. Nc3 e6 8. Be3 c5 see A. Muzychuk – Girya, Women’s Grand Prix, third stage, Batumi 2016. 5. h5!? Muzychuk decides to take lesser-known paths. For 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 h6 7. g4 Bd7 see Safarli – Dreev, World Chess Blitz Championship, Berlin 2015. 5. ... f6! Giryia starts undermining her opponent’s centre. 6. g4 Bd7 7. Qe2 e6 8. f4?! This is as consistent as committal. Now Black immediately breaks up White’s overextended centre Pawns. 8. ... c5! 9. Nf3 Nc6 10. Be3. “It should be noted that White could not support the centre by 10. c3 because of the undefended state of the c1-Bishop. Now Olga Girya could obtain a great advantage simply by 10. ... cxd4! 11. Bxd4 Nxd4 12. Nxd4 Bc5 13. Nb3 Bb6 14. Nc3 fxe5 15. Qxe5 (15. fxe5 Ne7 16. 0-0-0 0-0-0∓) 15. ... Qxe5+ 16. fxe5 Nh6 17. Be2 Nf7 and the e5-Pawn is doomed”, Grandmaster Bachar Kouatly said in his commentary for Europe Échecs. 10. ... Nh6 11. Bh3!? cxd4 12. Bxd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 fxe5 14. Qxe5 Qxe5+ 15. fxe5 Bc5 16. c3 Nf7. The story isn’t changed: the e5-Pawn is in trouble. 17. Nf3 Be3!

18. Kd1!? “Anna Muzychuk finds the only move that does not lose immediately the Pawn, but at the cost of a (very) bad position”, Kouatly said. 18. ... 0-0-0!? Even stronger was 18... Bf4 19. Re1 Ng5! 20. Nxg5 Bxg5 21. Rf1 Ke7 22. Nd2 Rhf8 23. Kc2 Bb5 24. Rxf8 Rxf8-+ (Kouatly’s analysis). 19. Na3 Rhf8 20. Re1 Ng5! 21. Rxe3 Rxf3 22. Rxf3 Nxf3 23. Ke2 Nxe5. The e-Pawn has finally fallen. 24. Rf1 h6 25. Ke3 Kc7 26. Rf4 Kd6 27. Bf1 Ke7 28. Be2 Nc6. “Black’s central Pawns are free to advance, and if the White Rook quits the f-file, then Black’s King will target, with the help of the Bishop, the g4-Pawn. In short, it’s tremendously hard for Anna Muzychuk! The rest of the game, however, is significantly less accurate, firstly because of mutual time trouble, but principally because of Olga Girya’s lack of technique. The game ended as a draw at move 94. An instructive game, from beginning to end”, Kouatly said. 29. Nc2 e5 30. Rf1 Be6 31. Rd1 Kf6 32. b3 Ke7 33. Bf3 a5 34. Be2 Rf8 35. Bf3 Rd8 36. Be2 Rc8 37. Bf3 e4 38. Be2 Ne5 39. Kd4 Nc6+ 40. Ke3 Ne5 41. Kd4 Kd6 42. Na3 Nc6+ 43. Ke3 Ke5 44. Nb5 Ne7 45. Rf1 Rg8 46. Nd4 Rc8 47. Kd2 Nc6 48. Ke3 Nxd4 49. cxd4+ Kd6 50. Kd2 Rc7 51. Rf8 Rc8 52. Rxc8 Bxc8 53. Ke3 Bd7 54. a3 Ke6 55. Kf4 Kf6 56. Bf1 Bc6 57. Be2 Bd7 58. Bf1 g6 59. hxg6 Kxg6 60. Be2 Kf6 61. Bf1 Bc6 62. Be2 Be8 63. Bf1 Bd7 64. Be2 Be8 65. Bf1 e3 66. Kxe3 Kg5 67. Bg2 Bf7 68. Kf3 Be6 69. Kg3 Bxg4 70. Bxd5 b6 71. b4 axb4 72. axb4 h5 73. Bc6 h4+ 74. Kh2 Kf4 75. Kg2 Bf5 76. Kh2 Bc8 77. Kg2 Bg4 78. Kh2 Bf5 79. Bb7 Bd7 80. Ba8 Bf5 81. Bc6 Be4 82. Be8 Ke3 83. Kh3 Kxd4 84. Kxh4 Kc4 85. Kg4 Kxb4 86. Kf4 Bc2 87. Ke3 Ba4 88. Bh5 Kc3 89. Be2 Bb3 90. Bb5 Bc4 91. Be8 Be6 92. Bc6 Bc4 93. Be8 b5 94. Bxb5 Bxb5 ½ : ½.

Anna Muzychuk vs. Olga Alexandrovna Girya
Photo: qipai.org.cn