神州行 (Easyown)

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
14th “映美杯” (“Yìngměi Cup”) Chinese Chess League; 南京 (Nánjīng), May 23, 2018
Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. c4 Be7 6. d3!? Nf6 7. d4 0-0. Or 7. ... d5 at once, transposing into the Exchange Variation of the French Defence. 8. Nc3 d5. Just the same. 9. Bd3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nc6!? Better is 10. ... Bd6! 11. h3 h6! 12. a3 Bf5 with a very comfortable game for Black, de la Bourdonnais – MacDonnell, London 1834, match game 44. 11. h3 Na5 12. Bd3 Be6 13. 0-0 h6 14. Re1 c5 15. Bc2 Nc6 16. Be3 Qa5? A big tactical error that loses the Exchange for no good reason. 16. ... b6 looked like nothing special for White. 17. d5! Rfd8 18. Bd2! The pointe. 18. ... Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Rxd5 20. Bxa5 Rxd1 21. Raxd1 Nxa5 22. Be4 Bf6 23. b3 c4 24. bxc4 Bxc4 25. Bd5 Rc8 26. Bxc4 Nxc4 27. Rd7 Rb8 28. Rc1 Nb6 29. Rd3 g6 30. Nd2 Kf8 31. Ne4 Be7 32. Nc5 Rc8 33. Rdc3 Rb8 34. Kf1 Ke8 35. Ne4 h5 36. Rd1 Kf8 37. Rdd3 Ke8 38. Rc7 Na8 39. Rc2 Nb6 40. Ke2 Kf8 41. Kf3 Ke8 42. g3 Kf8 43. h4 Kg7 44. Rd4 Kf8 45. Ng5 Nc8 46. Rcd2 Nb6 47. a4 Rc8 48. Kg2 Rc5 49. f4 Rc7 50. Kh3 a5 51. Rb2. Stockfish evaluates 51. f5! gxf5 52. Rf2 Bc5 53. Rxf5 Bxd4 54. Ne6+ Ke7 55. Nxc7 Nxa4 56. Rxa5 as a much better winning path for White. That said, it’s true that Gunina delays too much in mobilising her Pawn majority on the Kingside. 51. ... Bb4 52. Rd8+ Ke7 53. Rg8 Nxa4. Now, Black’s two passed united Pawns on the Queenside become telling, and finally, after much striving, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) can claim a compensation. 54. Re2+? This only helps Black in her long march towards the promised land. Much better was 54. Rf2 soonly followed by f4-f5. 54. ... Kd6 55. Rg7 Nc3 56. Re5 Nd5 57. Rg8 Kc6 58. Rd8 Nc3 59. f5 Kb6

60. Ra8. 60. Nxf7! gxf5! 61. Rxf5 a4∞ was quite unclear, but probably less dispersive than the text. 60. ... a4 61. g4? White was still in time for 61. Nxf7(!). Gunina’s continuous losses of time ended up putting her into a lost position. 61. ... a3 62. Nxf7? Now this is objectively wrong, but at least succeeds in unbalancing 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Anyway, other moves would not have probably prevented Black from making gradual progress towards a win. 62. ... hxg4+? This zwischenzug check turns out to be a cruel fata morgana. Simply 62. ... Rxf7! 63. fxg6 Rf8 would have lead to an easy win. 63. Kxg4 gxf5+. Now, if 63. ... Rxf7 64. fxg6 Rf8 then 65. Rea5! Bxa5 (with the King on h3, Black could give a deadly check at f3: ... Rf8-f3+) 66. Rxf8 a2 67. Rf1 Nb1 69. g7 with a likely draw. 64. Rxf5 a2 65. h5 Rc8 66. Rf6+ Kc7 67. Ra7 Kb8 68. Rxa2 Nxa2 69. h6 Bc3 70. Rg6 Rc4+ 71. Kh3 Rc5 72. Nd6 Bd2 73. Kg4 Bxh6 74. Rxh6 Rc6 75. Kf5 Nc3 76. Ke5 Ka7 77. Rh7 Rc5+ 78. Ke6 Nb5 79. Rxb7+ Ka6 80. Rxb5 ½ : ½.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo: qipai.org.cn.

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina. Photo: qipai.org.cn.