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Anna Olehivna Muzychuk – Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 2; Tehran, February 24, 2017

Sicilian Defence B44

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4!? Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Bc5!? For the more probing 6. ... Bb4 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 e5 9. 0-0 Bc5 see Karjakin – Grischuk, 23rd Russian Team Chess Championship, Sochi 2016. 7. Nxc6 bxc6? If Kosteniuk’s aim of revenge was actually founded on the ill-conceived text error, we cannot but conclude that, after yesterday’s débâcle, she did not believe that it was possible to hit back at the will of Caïssa. For 7. ... dxc6 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Bf4 Ke7 10. f3 Rd8 11. g4 Nd7 12. 0-0-0 e5 13. Bg3 f6 14. Be2 Nf8 15. Kb1 Ne6 16. Na4 Bd4 see A. Muzychuk – 孙翼男 (Sūn Yìnán), 16th World Youth Chess Championship Girls Under-12, Oropesa del Mar 2001. 8. e5 Ng8 9. Ne4! According to databases, this is a novelty, but only because – I guess – no one deliberately enters such a position just to lose... 9. ... Qb6. 9. ... Qa5+ 10. Bd2 Bb4 might perhaps be a bit less worse than the text. 10. Nxc5 Qxc5

11. Qd6! It certainly was not difficult to find it. Black will be left packed and inexorably undeveloped. 11. ... Qxd6 12. exd6 a5 13. b3 Nf6 14. f3 0-0 15. Be3 Ne8 16. 0-0-0 e5 17. Bd3 g6. The maybe previoulsly planned 17. ... f5 would have been effectively met by 18. Rhe1 Nxd6 19. Bc5 Rf6 20. Rxe5 Nb7 21. Re8+ Kf7 22. Rf8+ Kg6 23. Rxf6+ Kxf6 24. Bd4+ Kg6 25. g4+-, as shown by Georges Bertola in his commentary for Europe Échecs. 18. Bh6 Ng7 19. Rhe1 f6 20. f4! “Very sad position for Alexandra Kosteniuk... Her next best moves would be to propose draw and let Anna Muzychuk fly to the final”, reads the tweet of Europe Échecs, but 12th Women’s World Chess Champion quite proudly decides to drink the bitter chalice to the end. 20. ... Re8 21. fxe5 fxe5 22. Rd2 Re6 23. c5 Ba6 24. Bxa6 Rxa6 25. Bxg7 Kxg7 26. Rde2 Kf6 27. Rf1+ Kg7 28. Ref2 e4. Also 28. ... Ra7 is met by 29. Rf7+ Kh6 30. Re7. 29. Rf7+ Kh6 30. Re7 1 : 0.

Muzychuk vs. Kosteniuk. Photo © David Llada.