G+

倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún) – Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 2; Tehran, February 15, 2017

Sicilian Defence B22

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Bg4 6. Be2 e6 7. h3 Bf5 8. Be3. The vintage alternative is 8. 0-0 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bxb1 10. Rxb1 Be7 11. Qa4 Bf6 12. Bc4 Qd7 13. b4 Nge7 14. Rd1 0-0 15. b5 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 17. Bb2 Nf5 18. Bd3 e5 19. Bxf5 Qxf5 20. Bxd4 exd4 21. Qxd4 Rfe8 22. Rb3 h6 23. Rg3 Qe5 24. a4 b6 25. Qxe5 Rxe5 26. Rd7 a6 27. bxa6 Rxa6 28. Rg4 ½ : ½ Paoli – Castaldi, 6th International Tournament, Venice 1953. 8. ... cxd4 9. Nxd4 0-0-0? Very, very risky – and probably wrong. There is no consolation in the fact that she could have done even worse by 9. ... Qxg2?? (10. Bf3+-). For 9. ... Nge7 10. 0-0 Nxd4 11. cxd4 Nc6 12. Nc3 Qd7 see Höllrigl – Peterwagner, Austrian Team Chess Championship 2001-2002, Graz 2002. 10. 0-0 Bd6 11. Nd2 Nge7 12. Qb3. 12. Bf3 Qe5 13. g3 (Δ Be3-f4) appears even stronger. 12. ... Bb8 13. Rfd1 Qa5? Gunina seems totally out of shape and unprepared to play today’s game. Stockfish’s rescue line 13. ... Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Qxb3 15. axb3 e5 16. Bc5 Ng6 appears to be playable. 14. Nb5! With the deadly threat of Nd2-c4, virtually trapping Black’s Queen. 14. ... Rd5 15. Nc4 Qd8 16. Bf3 b6 17. Qa3! Black is finished, but 上海 (Shànghǎi)’s Woman Grandmaster’s styled “enclosure” is worth waiting for. 17. ... Kd7 18. Ncd6! Black’s King is stalemated. 18. ... Bg6 19. c4 Ne5 20. Be2 Bc2 21. cxd5 Nxd5 22. Rd2 Bg6 23. Nc4 Qf6 24. Nc3 Nxc4 25. Bxc4 Qe5 26. Nxd5 Qh2+ 27. Kf1 exd5 28. Rxd5+ Ke6. Or 28. ... Kc6 29. Qa4+ Kb7 30. Ba6+ Kc7 31. Rd7 mate.

29. Re5++! Kxe5 30. Qe7+ 1 : 0. For if 30. ... Kf5 then 31. g4 mate.

倪诗群 (Ní Shīqún)
Photo: David Llada (‏@davidllada)