Painting a Wall

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina

67th Russian Women’s Chess Championship; tie-break game 1 (15+10); Saint Petersburg, December 14, 2017

1r4k1/7p/5bp1/5p2/p1p5/P2nP2P/1P2BPP1/1RB3K1 w - - 0 29

The very young Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – a great hope of Russian chess – won for the second time the (67th) Russian Women’s Chess Championship which took place in the State Museum of the Political History of Russia in Saint Petersburg, Russia from 3 to 14 December 2017. After tying for first place in the general ranking, Goryachkina faced Natalia Andreevna Pogonina in two tie-break Rapid games and defeated her 2-0. In the position of the diagram White (who is to move) has little to be content with since Black’s initiative more than compensate for the minus Pawn, but, of course, nothing is yet decided. 29. Kf1 Kf7 30. Bd2. The decision of giving back the Pawn seems the only reasonable one. 30. ... Rxb2? Black apparently misses the zwischenzug 30. ... Rb3! which, followed by ... Bf6xb2, would have put White in very serious trouble; in the case of 31. Bd1 there might follow 31. ... Nxb2! 32. Bxb3 axb3 and Black must win. 31. Bxd3? And this is Pogonina’s crucial mistake. 31. Rxb2 followed by Bd2-b4 (regardless which way Black recaptures) would have offered very good drawing chances. 31. ... cxd3 32. Rxb2 Bxb2 33. Bb4 Ke6. Now it’s easy to win. 34. Ke1 Kd5 35. Kd2 Kc4 36. f3 Be5 37. g4 Bc7 38. gxf5 gxf5 39. Kd1 Be5 40. Kd2 Bb2 41. Bd6 Bc3+ 42. Kd1 Kb3 43. Bc5 Bb2 44. e4 fxe4 45. fxe4 Bxa3 46. Bxa3 Kxa3 47. e5 Kb3 48. e6 a3 49. e7 a2 50. e8=Q a1=Q+ 51. Kd2 Qc3+ 52. Kd1 Qc2+ 0 : 1.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Photo: Eteri Kublashvili