Pretty Disaster

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
66th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; Novosibirsk, October 20, 2016
Queen’s Indian Defence E16

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Bb4+ 5. Nd2 0-0 6. Nf3 b6 7. 0-0 Bb7 8. cxd5 exd5 9. a3 Be7 10. b4 Nbd7 11. Bb2 c5 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. bxc5 Nxc5 14. Nb3. If 14. Nd4 there might follow 14. ... Qd7 15. Rb1 Nfe4 16. N4b3 Rfd8 17. Nxc5 Bxc5 18. Nxe4 dxe4 19. Qb3 Bd5 20. Qc3 Bf8 21. Rfd1 Qe6 22. Qe3 a5 ½ : ½ Vescovi – Lima, 64th Brazilian Chess Championship, Rio de Janeiro 1997, playoff game 1. 14. ... Na4 15. Bd4 Ne4 16. Qd3 Bf6. “White plays against an isolani, whereas Black’s trump card is her counterplay provided by her Knights mounted on strong outposts. After 17. Rfc1 each player would have continued pursuing own plans, with Gunina’s position being slightly superior much to Goryachkina’s dislike. However...”, Dmitry Kryakvin wrote in his report for the Russian Chess Federation. 17. Bxf6?! Qxf6

18. Na5? “During the game I thought I stand worse – I just don’t like having an isolani”, Goryachkina said afterwards. “18. Na5? is a decisive mistake, but this move was played rather quickly”. After 18. Nfd4 Ba6 the game was roughly balanced. 18. ... Ba6! 19. Qxd5?? Gunina’s second mistake is tragic — to say the least. Perhaps she was not content with 19. Qd4 Nac3 20. Qxf6 Nxe2+ 21. Kh1 gxf6 in which Black wins a Pawn, but the text is far and far worse. 19. ... Nac3! 20. Qe5 Qb6! The a5-Knight is doomed. 21. Nb3. Or 21. Nc6 Qxc6 22. Nd4 Qd7 23. Bxe4 Qxd4 24. Qxd4 Nxe2+ 25. Kg2 Nxd4 26. Bxa8 Bxf1+ 27. Rxf1 Rxa8 and Black remains a piece ahead. 21. ... Qxb3 22. Nd4 Qc4 23. e3 Rae8 24. Qf4 Qxd4! The final touch. 0 : 1. For after 25. exd4 Ne2+ followed by ... Ne2xf4 and ... Ba6xf1 Black emerges a Rook up. “The game was followed by a press conference during which Goryachkina’s quiet and calm voice revealed simple winning continuations, whereas her companion was sitting there with a puzzled look, seemingly deliberating on her being fortunate that Novosibirsk was at least not a team tournament after all”, Kryakvin wrote.

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina (right) va. Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (left). Photo: Russian Chess Federation