Golden Mediasch

Anna Muzychuk – Elisabeth Pähtz
11th ROMGAZ Kings Rapid Tournament; Mediaș, November 27, 2017
Sicilian Defence B29

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. Nc3 e6 5. Nxd5 exd5 6. d4 Nc6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. Qxd5 Qb6 9. Bc4 Bxf2+ 10. Ke2 0-0 11. Rf1 Bc5 12. Ng5 Nd4+ 13. Kd1 Ne6 14. Ne4 d6 15. exd6 Rd8 16. Bf4!? Possibly better is 16. Qh5! Bxd6 17. Bd3! f5 18. Rxf5!? with the initiative, Planinc – Dobrev, International Tournament, Varna 1970. Just keep in mind Albin Planinc was a genius! 16. ... Be3? Quite unluckily for Pähtz, her first move of her own is already a crucial mistake! Theory gives 16. ... Nxf4= 17. Qxf7+ Kh8 18. Rxf4? (correct is 18. Qxf4 Bxd6 with rough equality) 18. ... Bxd6 19. Nxd6 Be6!−+ Nozdrachev – Klyuev, 12th Memorial Tsiolkovsky, Kaluga 2013. 17. Bxe3 Qxe3 18. c3 Bd7 19. Qe5 (Δ Ne4-f6+) 19. ... Qh6 20. Kc2 Rac8 21. Bd3? Maybe Muzychuk did not yet have a clear idea of how to proceed, otherwise she would have preferred 21. Bd5(!) followed by Ra1-e1, similarly to the game. 21. ... Ba4+? Black apparently misses her fleeting chance: 21. ... f5! 22. Rxf5 Nd4+ 23. Qxd4 Bxf5 (Stockfish) seems quite unclear. 22. b3 Bc6 23. Rae1 Bxe4. Otherwise Ne4-g3-f5 would follow. 24. Bxe4 Rc5 25. Bd5! Qg6+ 26. Kb2 Qd3 27. Rd1 Qa6. Thus Pähtz subjects herself to a flashy ending, but 27. ... Qg6 doesn’t seem to me much better as after 28. c4(!) Black cannot escape the storm anyway.

28. Rxf7! Rxd6. If 28. ... Kxf7 then 29. Qxe6+ and mate next move. 29. Rxg7+! 1 : 0. Mate in two follows.