Mixed-Up Confusion

Ekaterina Polovnikova Atalık – Marina Brunello
18th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Riga, April 14, 2017
Semi-Slav Defence D46

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 0-0 8. 0-0 h6 9. Rd1 Qe7 10. c5 Bc7. The alternative is 10. ... Bb8 11. e4 e5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Bf1 Nxc3 (Black offered a draw which was turned down) 14. bxc3 e4(!) with a (very) symbolic plus for Black, Spraggett – Bacrot, Enghien-les-Bains 1997. 11. e4 e5??! With the Bishop on c7 instead of b8 the text makes much less sense, even if perhaps Black can survive it. The accepted continuation is 11. ... dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 e5, e.g. 14. Re1 Nf6 15. Bd3 e4 16. Bxe4 Nxe4 17. Qxe4 Qxe4 18. Rxe4 Bf5 19. Re7 Rac8 20. d5 cxd5 21. Nd4 Bg6 22. Bd2 Rfe8 23. Rae1 Kf8 24. Rxe8+ Rxe8 25. c6 Rxe1+ 26. Bxe1 bxc6 27. Nxc6 Bb1 28. a3 Bb6 29. Ba5 Bxa5 30. Nxa5 Ke7 31. Kf1 Kd6 32. Ke2 d4 33. Nb3 Kd5 34. Kd2 Be4 35. f3 Bf5 36. Nc1 Kc4 37. b3+ Kd5 38. Nd3 Bd7 39. Nf4+ Ke5 40. Nd3+ Kd5 41. Nf4+ ½ : ½ Malakhatko – Michiels, 29th Metz Open A, Longeville-lès-Metz 2011.

12. exd5 cxd5?? An awful blunder that loses the game. 12. ... Nxd5 was not as good as in the above mentioned game Spraggett – Bacrot, because now, due to the latently hanging position of Black’s c7-Bishop, White could have played 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. c6 with a definite edge. It was, however, by far the lesser evil. 13. Re1 Qd8. Maybe Brunello overlooked that in case of 13. ... e4? White had 14. Nxd5! Nxd5 15. Bxe4 winning easily. 14. dxe5 Ng4 15. Bf4. Black’s position is a disaster, far beyond her Pawn deficit, and pretty soon Brunello will have to surrender any resistance. 15. ... Re8. If 15. ... Nxc5 then 16. h3 Nf6 17. exf6 Bxf4 18. Bh7+ Kh8 19. fxg7+ Kxg7 20. Rad1 with an imposing preponderance. 16. Nxd5 Ndxe5 17. Nxc7 Qxc7 18. Qe2 f6 19. h3 Nxf3+ 20. Qxf3 Ne5 21. Qe4 Qxc5 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Qh8+ Kf7 24. Bg6+ 1 : 0.