From Goethe to Gide

Marina Brunello – Sarah Hoolt
19th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Vysoké Tatry, April 12, 2018
French Defence C03

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. Bd3 c5 5. dxc5 Nf6 6. Qe2 0-0 7. Ngf3 a5 8. e5!? In another game two years earlier (against Wesley So) Brunello preferred 8. c3 Na6 9. e5 Nd7 10. Bxa6 Rxa6 11. b4 Ra8 12. 0-0 axb4 13. cxb4 b6 14. c6 Bxb4 15. cxd7 Ba6 16. Qe3 Bc5 17. Nd4 Bxf1 18. Kxf1 Qxd7 with unclear play, M. Brunello – So, 3rd Isle of Man International Chess Tournament; Douglas 2016. 8. ... Nfd7 9. h4 (Δ Bd3xh7+) 9. ... h6 10. Nf1!? In a well known game there occurred 10. c3 Nxc5 11. Bc2 f5 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. Ne5? (but 13. g4!? was certainly worth considering) 13. ... Bxe5 14. Qxe5 Nc6 15. Qg3 e5 16. Nb3 Nxb3 17. Bxb3 Rf6 18. a4 Be6 19. 0-0 Qb6 20. Bc2 Raf8 21. Bd3 Kh8 22. Bb5 Bf5 23. Bxc6 Rg6! 24. Qxe5 Be4! 25. g3 bxc6−+ Rozentalis – Vallejo Pons, 36th Chess Olympiad, Calvià 2004. If, instead, 10. Nb3 then 10. ... a4 11. Nbd4 Nxc5 and Black is fine, 沈阳 (Shěn Yáng) – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), Women’s Zonal 3.3, 北京 (Běijīng) 2005. 10. ... Nc6 11. Ng3 Nxc5 12. Nh5 Nxd3+ 13. cxd3 f5. 13. ... f6!? 14. Rh3 Qe8 seems even more to the point. 14. Rg1. White hopes that her opponent will take the Pawn by 14. ... Bxh4, so as to enjoy the opened h-file (15. Rh1 Be7 16. Nxg7!). Also possible, and perhaps even better, was 14. Nf4 at once. 14. ... Qe8 15. Nf4 Bb4+ 16. Bd2 b6 17. a3 Bc5 18. g4 fxg4 19. Rxg4 Rf5

20. Ng6? No matter whether good or bad, White should have gone for 20. 0-0-0 Ra7(!) 21. Rdg1 as it was her best possibility of both victory and survival. 20. ... Kh7 21. Be3? White was still in time for castling long. 21. ... Qf7! 22. d4? There are no good moves for White, but after this one her position immediately disintegrates. 22. ... Rxf3 23. dxc5 Qf5 24. Rg2 Ba6 25. Qd2 d4 26. 0-0-0. Too late! 26. ... dxe3 27. Qd7 Rd8 0 : 1. For if 28. Qxc6 then 28. ... Rxd1+ 29. Kxd1 Qb1 mate.