Slavic and East European Performance

Lương Phương Hạnh – Nataliya Buksa
6th World Women’s Team Chess Championship; Khanty-Mansiysk, June 20, 2017
Catalan Opening E08

In spite of the absence of the Muzychuk sisters, the Ukrainian women’s team is giving a fierce fight in order to contend Russia first place in the 6th World Women’s Team Chess Championship. 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 0-0 7. 0-0 c6 8. Qc2 Ne4 9. Bf4 Nd7 10. Nc3 g5 11. Bd2. Of course, there is a reason why Wesley So played 11. Bc1 (against Nakamura in the 61st U.S. Chess Championship at Saint Louis in 2017). 11. ... f5 12. Rfd1. In Phạm Chương – Võ Thành Ninh, 29th Vietnamese Chess Championship, Ho Chi Minh City 2013 was seen 12. Ne1 (trying to give a sense to White’s clumsy 11th move) 12. ... Nb6 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Rd1 Qxd4 15. Bxg5 Qg7 16. Bxe7 Qxe7 17. b3 e5 18. Bh3 Nd7 19. Ng2 Nc5 20. Nh4 a5 21. f3 f4 22. Bxc8 Raxc8 23. fxe4 fxg3 24. hxg3 Qg5 25. Nf5 Rcd8 26. Rxd8 Rxd8 27. Qc3 Re8 28. Qxa5 Nxe4 29. Qc7 Kh8 30. Kg2 Qf6 31. Qxb7 Nd2 32. Rf2 Ne4 33. Rf3 Nd2 34. Rf2 Ne4 35. Rf3 Nd2 36. Rf2 ½ : ½. White apparently let slip the chance to play for a win. 12. ... b6 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Qa4 Bb7? A careless move by Buksa, which loses a Pawn and turns Black’s game into an ordeal of desperate resistance. After 14. ... Nxd2 followed by ... Bc8-b7 Black would have stood well, if not very well. 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. Nxg5 Bxg5 17. Bxg5 Qxg5 18. Qxd7 Bd5 19. e3 Rf7 20. Qd6 Rd8 21. Qe5 Rc8 22. Rdc1 Qd8 23. Bf1 Rfc7 24. Re1 Rc2 25. Ba6 R8c7 26. b3 R7c3 27. Re2 Qc7 28. Rxc2 Rxc2 29. Qxc7 Rxc7 30. Re1 Kf7 31. Re2 Ke7 32. Rd2 Rc1+ 33. Kg2 Kd6 34. Bb5 Kc7 35. h3 Kd6 36. Rb2 Ke7 37. Be2 Kd6 38. g4 h6 39. Kg3 Ke7 40. Kf4 Kf6 41. gxf5 exf5 42. h4 Bc6 43. Rd2 Bd5 44. Bd1 Ke6 45. Kg3 Kd6 46. Bh5 Ke6 47. Be2 Kd6 48. Kf4 Ke6

Probably White might have done better before, but still now she had no reason to complain. I don’t know if Stockfish’s suggested modus operandi (Be2-d1, followed by Kf4-g3 and f2-f3) would have actually allowed her to make progress toward a win, but certainly it would have been better than what she is about to do. 49. Bc4?? Lương Phương Hạnh should have perceived that it sounded too beautiful to be true! 49. ... Bxc4 50. bxc4 Rg1! Threatening ... Rg1-g4 mate. 51. d5+. 51. f3 Rf1 substantially transposes into the game. 51. ... Kf6 52. f3 Rf1 53. Kg3 Rxf3+ 54. Kg2 Rxe3. Game over. Black wins by grace. 55. Kf2 Rh3 56. Rd4 Rxh4 57. Kg3 Rg4+ 58. Kh3 Ke5 59. Rd1 Kd6 60. Rf1 Rg5 61. Kh4 Ke5 62. Rd1 Rg6 63. a4 e3 64. Re1 f4 65. Kh5 Rg2 66. Kxh6 e2 0 : 1.

Nataliya Buksa
Photo: Anastasiya Balakhontseva/Ugra Chess Academy