Hand reading

Pauline Guichard – Anna Muzychuk
ACP European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship; Monte Carlo, October 22, 2017
English Opening A37

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nc3 e6 6. d3 Nge7 7. Bg5. 7. 0-0 0-0 8. Bd2 d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. a3 h6 11. Rb1 a5 12. Qc1 Kh7 13. Nb5 Qb6 14. a4 Na7 would have also evoked sweet memories to Muzychuk, Dzagnidze – A. Muzychuk, Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship, Doha 2016. 7. ... h6 8. Bd2 d5 9. 0-0 b6 10. Qc1 d4 11. Nd1. From a theoretical viewpoint it’s worth mentioning that in Talla – Brodowski, 21st Czech Chess Extraliga 2012/2013, Czech Republic 2012 was seen 10. Na4. 11. ... a5 12. b3 g5 13. a3 Qd6 14. Rb1 0-0 15. h4 g4 16. Nh2 e5. Black’s position is already much more pleasant. 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 Ra2 19. bxc5. I doubt that the opening of the b-file may favour White, but it’s not such an Hamletic dilemma as 19. b5 Nb4 looks quite unpleasant too. 19. ... bxc5 20. Rb6? This seems a big mistake of judgment. White should have absolutely avoided the catastrophe on the Queenside by exchanging Rooks on the a-file (20. Ra1). 20. ... Bd7 21. e3? And this seems the losing move, bottling up her dark-squared Bishop. 21. e4 Rfa8 was better, but bad enough not to be good.

21. ... Rb8! 22. Rxb8+ Qxb8 23. Re1 Qb3 24. Be4. This loses material, but 24. Nf1 Nb4 wasn’t a way to save the game. 24. ... Rc2 25. Qa1 Rxd2 26. exd4 Ra2 27. Qc1 Nxd4 28. Kf1 f5 0 : 1. Thus Anna Muzychuk added the title of ACP European Women’s Rapid Chess Champion to her Women’s World Rapid & Blitz Chess titles, so now only one crown is still missing. The young Russian talent Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina took the podium with a third place, and everything says that she, too, will claim that missing crown for herself.

And here is the awarding ceremony podium of the ACP European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship; from left: Kateryna Aleksandrovna Lagno (silver), Anna Muzychuk (gold), and Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (bronze). Photo: European Chess Union (@ECUonline).