Autumn Spring

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
ACP European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship; Monte Carlo, October 22, 2017
Scotch Game C45

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Be2 b6 8. 0-0 0-0. For 8. ... Bb7 9. Nb5 0-0-0 10. Bxc5 bxc5 11. Qa4 Kb8 12. Nd2 Nc8 13. Nc4 Nb6 see Almási – Shirov, 3rd Dresdner Porzellan-Cup, Dresden 1999. 9. b4 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 Bxd4 11. cxd4 Bb7!? 11. ... Nc6 12. e5 Qf4 13. Bf3 Rb8 14. Bxc6 dxc6 15. Qd2 Qxd2 16. Nxd2 Rd8 17. Nb3 Be6 seems also to give Black quite an even game, Alieva – I. K. Grigorjev, 4th Polugaevsky Memorial, Samara 2014. 12. Nc3 c5 13. bxc5 bxc5 14. e5 Qg6? Looking for a non-existent attack on the castled King, Pogonina only puts herself into trouble. Simply 14. ... Qf4! gave Black quite a satisfactory play. 15. d5. This most obvious move gives White a very powerful position. 15. ... Qf5? Black insists on playing her Royal Doll, ending up making things much worse. Here maybe 15. ... Ba6 was more advisable. 16. f4 d6 17. Rb1 Rab8 18. Bd3 Qd7 19. Be4 Ba8. 19. ... Ba6 20. Rxb8 Rxb8 21. Re1 makes no much difference. Black stands very badly anyway. 20. Rxb8 Rxb8 21. Qd3 g6 22. Bf3 Kg7 23. Re1 Qf5? This is the nemesis of the Black Queen’s wandering search for drama. In truth, even after 23. ... Qd8 24. g4 (Stockfish) Black had all reasons to be unhappy, but the text will end really in what Her Majesty was searching for.

24. Qd2! Rb4 25. exd6 Nc8 26. Ne4. Threatening Qd2-c3+. 26. ... Rd4 27. Qc3 Nb6 28. Nxc5 Qf6 29. Ne4 Nxd5 30. Nxf6 Nxc3 31. Ne8+ Kf8 32. Bxa8 Rxf4 33. d7 Rd4 34. Nf6 Kg7 35. Nd5! 1 : 0.