Waging Peace

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – Mariya Muzychuk
Women’s Grand Prix; 4th stage; 成都 (Chéngdū), July 7, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D30

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 Nd7 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Qf4 10. Bd3 e5?! “A risky move that has to be followed with a precise play. [Reuben] Fine believed that 10. ... Nf6 would give an easy equality” Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek wrote in his notes to the game Mamedyarov – Topalov, M-Tel Masters, Sofia 2007 for The Whashington Post, May 21, 2007. 11. 0-0! “Inviting Black to win a piece, but Fine knew already in 1938 that black cannot afford the reckless 11. ... f5 12. Ng3 e4 because of 13. Rfe1! Kd8! 14. Nxe4! fxe4 15. Rxe4 with a powerful attack for White. His judgment seems correct, although some recent computer games ended with mixed results”, writes Kavalek. 11. ... exd4? “[Black] neglects to develop his dark Bishop. He should have played 11. ... Be7 first and only after 12. Rfe1 exd4! as did Fine against Euwe”, writes Kavalek. 12. Nxd4 Nc5. “It is too late for 12. ... Be7 because of 13. Nf5!, and 12. ... Ne5 13. Bc2 Be7 loses to 14. g3! Qg4 15. f4 Ng6 16. f5 as in the game Tartakower – Cunillera, Barcelona 1934”, says Kavalek. 13. Nxc5 Qxd4. A novelty, but not a good one. On the other hand, the reference book wasn’t encouraging at all: 13. ... Bxc5 14. Rae1+ Kf8 15. Re4! Qf6 16. Qc3! a5 17. Rfe1 Bd7 18. R1e3 Bb4 19. Qc2 Qd6 20. Rf3 h5 21. c5! Bxc5 22. Bc4 f6 23. Ne6+ Bxe6 24. Rxe6 Qd7 25. Qf5 Qd4 26. Re4 Qd1+ 27. Bf1 Bd6 28. Rd3 Bxh2+ 29. Kxh2 Qxf1 30. Rd7 1 : 0 Mamedyarov – Topalov, M-Tel Masters, Sofia 2007. 14. Rae1+ Be7

15. Na4? 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) totally misses the point. After 15. Rxe7+! Kxe7 16. Re1+ Kd8 (both 16. ... Kf6? 17. Re4! and 16. ... Kf8? 17. Qa3! would be disastrous) 17. Nxb7+ Kc7 18. Na5 White’s dynamic compensation is nearly overwhelming. 15. ... Qd8 16. h4!? Not the most natural, but 16. Qa3 Kf8 leads nowhere. 16. ... 0-0 17. h5 Rb8 18. c5 b5 19. cxb6 axb6 20. Qc4 Bg5. If 20. ... b5 then 21. Qe4 f5 22. Qxe7 bxa4 23. Qa7 and White stands better. 21. Rd1 Qc7. Not 21. ... b5 because of 22. Qe4 g6 (22. ... f5?? loses trivially to 23. Bc4+) 23. hxg6 Qf6 24. gxf7+ Rxf7 25. Nc5 with a crushing advantage. 22. Bc2 Bf5!? A pretty tactical escamotage. After 22. ... b5 23. Qd3 f5 24. Nc5 Black stands badly. 23. Bxf5 b5 24. Qc5 bxa4 25. Bc2 Qc8. Prevents Qc5-f5. 26. Qd4 Qe6 27. Qd3 f5 28. Bxa4 Qxa2 29. b3 Kh8 30. Qc4 f4 31. Rfe1 f3 32. g3 Bd8 33. Qc3 Bf6 34. Qc5 Qb2 35. Rd3 Rfd8 36. Rxd8+ Rxd8 37. Qxc6

37. ... Qe2! Finally Muzychuk starts to show signs of herself again! 38. Qc1? 赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) gets upset and goes wrong. 38. Qe4 was clearly called for. 38. ... Bg5! 39. Qb1 Be3! Fast and Furious. 40. Rxe2 fxe2 41. Qe1 Rd1 42. fxe3 Rxe1+ 43. Kf2 Rh1 44. Kxe2 Rxh5. Black is now the Exchange ahead, but a Pawn minus. 45. b4 Rg5 46. Kf3 Kg8 47. b5 Rg6 48. e4 Kf7 49. Bb3+ Ke7 50. e5 h5 51. Bd5 Rg5 52. b6 Rxe5 53. b7 Rf5+ 54. Ke4 Rf8 55. Ke5 Kd7 56. Bf7 Kc7 57. Bxh5 Kxb7 58. Ke6 Rf6+ 59. Ke7 Kc6 60. Bf7 Kc5 61. g4? It looks like a fatal mistake. Correct was 61. Kf8 g5 62. Kg7 Rf3 63. Bh5 Rxg3 64. Kg6 then “dooming” the g5-Pawn with Kg6-f5 followed by Bh5-g4. 61. ... Kd4 62. g5 Rf5 63. Bg6 Rxg5? Blunder for blunder! 63. ... Ke5! would have won elegantly and quite easily. 64. Kf7 Ke5 65. Kxg7 Ke6 66. Kh7 Kf6 67. Bc2 Rg3 68. Kh8 Kf7 69. Bb1 Rg2 70. Bd3 Rb2 71. Bc4+ Kf6 72. Bg8 Kg6 73. Bh7+ Kh6 74. Bg8 Rb7 75. Bd5 Rh7+ 76. Kg8 Rd7 77. Be6 Re7 78. Bc4 Kg6 79. Bd3+ Kf6 80. Bb1 Rc7 81. Kh8 Rc1 82. Be4 Rd1 83. Bc2 Rd2 84. Bh7 Kf7 85. Bg8+ Kf8 86. Bh7 Rb2 87. Bg8 Rb8 88. Bc4 Rb4 89. Bg8 Rg4 90. Bh7 ½ : ½.

赵雪 (Zhào Xuě) – Mariya Muzychuk
Photo: qipai.org.cn