The Heart’s Code

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 3; 上海 (Shànghǎi), May 6, 2018
Catalan Opening E04

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. 0-0 Rb8 7. Nc3 b5 8. Ne5 Nxe5 9. dxe5 Nd7 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. Bxb7 Rxb7 12. Rd1 Be7!? The background story was 12. ... Qc8 13. a4 [13. Bg5 c6 14. Ne4 h6 is roughly level, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Maisuradze, 40th Women’s Olympiad, Istanbul 2012] 13. ... b4 14. Nb5? a6 15. Nd4 c5 16. Nf3 c3! 17. bxc3 b3 18. Qb2 c4−+ 19. Bf4 Be7 20. a5 0-0 21. h4 h6 22. Kh2 Qc6 23. Rd4 Qb5 24. Qd2 Bc5 25. Re4 f5 26. exf6 Nxf6 27. Rxe6 Rd7 28. Qb2 Ng4+ 29. Kg2 Bxf2 30. Rf1 Qf5 31. Rxa6 Bxg3 32. Bd2 Rxd2 33. Qxd2 Bf4 34. e4 Qxe4 35. Qe1 Ne3+ 36. Kg1 Bh2+ 0 : 1 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), 3rd Women Masters, 无锡 (Wúxī) 2013. 13. Qe4 Qc8 14. Qg4

14. ... g5? It is the same old story of the g-Pawn, here represented in all its tragic splendour. On a next occasion – and maybe pretty soon – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) will reveal what she had prepared for the audience in case of 14. ... g6 or 14. ... Bf8. 15. Qh5! Nc5 16. Bxg5 c6 17. Rd4 Rd7 18. Bxe7! White’s attack comes easy like water flowing over a swimmer’s skin. 18. ... Kxe7 19. Qh4+ Ke8 20. Rad1 Qd8. If nothing else, it was perhaps a good moment to leave the scene in Petrossiàn’s style by 20 ... Rd5(!). 21. Qf4. White could content herself with 21. Qxd8+ Kxd8 22. Ne4 winning material and forcing a resignation. 21. ... Rxd4 22. Rxd4 Qb6 23. Rd6 Rf8 24. Ne4 Nxe4 25. Qxe4 Qb7 26. Rxc6 Kd7 27. Qd4+! 1 : 0. For after 27. ... Ke7 (27. ... Kxc6 28. Qd6 mate) 28. Qd6+ Ke8 29. Rc7 Black must give up the Queen or be mated.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) (left) vs. 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) (right). Photo: 樊璐璐 (Fán Lùlù).

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo: qipai.org.cn.

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí). Photo: qipai.org.cn.