Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Eight-pin bowling

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 2; Tehran, February 21, 2017
Catalan Opening E04

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg2 c5 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. Qa4 Bd7 8. Qxc4 b5 9. Qd3 c4 10. Qd1 Rc8 11. Re1 Be7. For 11. ... Bb4 12. Nc3 Qa5 13. Bd2 Qb6 14. a3 Be7 15. Bf4 0-0 16. e4 b4 see Ivkov – Janošević, 7th Yugoslav Chess Championship, Sarajevo 1951. 12. e4 0-0!? A bold decision, and apparently a novelty as well. For 12. ... Nb4 13. Ne5 0-0 14. Nc3 a6!? see Soćko – Daulytė, Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament, Krasnaya Polyana 2015, tie-break game 1. 13. d5! exd5 14. exd5 Nb4 15. Ne5?? Very coffee house style. The less psychedelic (not too hard to see) 15. d6 Bxd6 16. Qxd6 Nc2 17. Na3 would have led to an unclear game with a slightly favourable trend for White. 15. ... Bf5 16. g4!? The curse of the g-Pawn hits once more! One would think that 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) wanted just this moment for herself...


16. ... Bc2 17. Qf3 Be4! 18. Rxe4 Nxe4 19. Qxe4 Bd6 20. Bd2 Re8! The End is already here as White’s Queenside is totally undeveloped. 21. f4. If 21. Nxf7!? then 21. ... Bxh2+! (21. ... Kxf7? 22. Qxh7 would be decidedly unclear) 22. Kf1 Qf6 and Black must win. 21. ... f6 22. Bxb4 Bxb4 23. d6 Qxd6 24. Qd5+ Qxd5 25. Bxd5+ Kf8 26. Nc6 Re1+! 27. Kf2 Rce8! 28. Nxb4 R8e2+ 29. Kf3 Rxb2 30. Nc6 c3! 31. Nxc3. Also 31. Nd4 c2 32. Nxc2 Rxc2 33. Be4 Rxh2 is hopeless. 31. ... Rxa1 32. Ke3 Re1+ 33. Kf3 Rd2 34. Be4 a6 35. h4 Rc1 36. Ne2 Rc4 37. Ke3 Rxe2+! 0 : 1. So 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) will have to content herself with her Grand Prix title which (almost in theory) gives her the right to play a single match with the (next?) Women’s World Chess Champion.

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