Valcalepio

Nino Batsiashvili – Marina Brunello
18th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Riga, April 12, 2017
1q2r3/5kp1/Rb3nn1/1p2pNQ1/1Pp1P3/3r3P/3B1PB1/R6K b - - 5 36

Position after 36. Bc3-d2

I know I don’t speak very often about my countrypeople, but I am happy to make an exception for Marina Brunello, who scored two out of two. In the position of the diagram she wisely decided to offer a draw through the language of signs: 36. ... Nh7 37. Qh5 Nf6 38. Qg5 Nh7 39. Qh5 Nf6 40. Qe2? But Batsiashvili refuses to take it! Objectively speaking, the Georgian International Master fell into a deadly sin of pride. 40. ... Nf4! Brunello immediately takes advantage of her opponent’s slip, and as usual shows her volitional technique in converting the raw into the cooked. 41. Bxf4 exf4 42. e5!? Nino very nervously seeks a tactical justification for her bravado and also sets up a small trap. 42. ... Qxe5. But Brunello does not take the bait, as after 42. ... Rxe5? 43. Rxb6! White would have suddenly turned the tables. 43. Qxe5 Rxe5 44. Rxb6 Rxf5. White is behind in material and position. 45. Rb7+ Kg8 46. Bc6 Rxh3+ 47. Kg2 Rhh5 48. Kf3 Rh3+ 49. Kg2 Rb3 50. Rb8+ Kh7 51. Rxb5 Rxb5 52. Bxb5 Rxb4 53. Ba6 Nd5? It could be the only error in Marina’s game. Best was 53. ... Ne4! in order to answer 54. Kf3 by 54. ... Nc5 55. Ra5 Nb3 keeping winning chances. 54. Kf3 g5 55. Ke4? Apparently here White missed her way to a draw: 55. Ra5! Nc7 56. Kg4 Kg6 57. Rxg5+ Kf7 58. Rf5+ Ke7 59. Bxc4! Rxc4 60. Rxf4. Batsiashvili, however, was tremendously short of time (with one minute left). 55. ... Nc7 56. Bc8 Kg6 57. Ra7? And in the end, Nino makes her last mistake. White ought to play 57. Kd4 which would have made matters much, much (and much) harder for Black. 57. ... c3+ 58. Kd3 Nb5 59. Ra6+ Kh5 60. Kc2 Rb2+ 61. Kc1 Rxf2 62. Bd7 Nd4 63. Ba4 Rf1+ 64. Bd1+ f3 65. Ra4 c2 66. Rxd4 Rxd1+ 67. Rxd1 cxd1=Q+ 68. Kxd1 Kg4 0 : 1.