Generations in Touch

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
68th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Satka, August 30, 2018
French Defence C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. Qf2 Qb6 10. Bd3 cxd4. The alternative 10. ... Bb7 11. 0-0 h6 12. Kh1 0-0-0 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. Bxc5 Nxc5 15. a4 b4 16. Ne2 d4 17. Rfd1 g5 18. Nd2 Na5 19. Ng3 gxf4 20. Qxf4 b3 21. Rac1 Kb8 is tremendously unclear, Kosteniuk – Naiditsch, 4th Isle of Man International Chess Tournament, Douglas 2017. 11. Nxd4 Bc5 12. Nce2 b4 13. 0-0 a5 14. c4!? This doesn’t seem like much better of 14. c3 Ba6 or 14. Rac1 0-0 15. c3 Ba6 (Fedorov – Podolchenko, 76th Belarusian Chess Championship, Minsk 2010) which are quite playable for Black. 14. ... dxc4. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with this, but it would have been interesting to know what Kosteniuk had prepared for her opponent if she had replied with 14. ... Ba6(!) — which actually seems Black’s best move. 15. Bxc4 Nxd4 16. Nxd4 0-0 17. Rfe1 Ba6 18. Bb3! Rfd8 19. Rac1 Rac8? Groryachkina clearly underestimated or miscalculated her exposure to White’s attack on the Kingside. Black ought to have played 19. ... a4! 20. Bxa4 Nxe5! with good chances of holding her own; for instance: 21. Nxe6 Bxe3 22. Qxe3 Qxe6 23. Bb3 Bc4! 24. Bxc4 Nxc4 25. Qxe6 fxe6 26. Rxc4 Rd2 27. Rxb4 Rxa2 and the most White seems to get is a drawish 3 vs. 2 Pawns on the same side Rook endgame. 20. f5! Kh8. Not 20. ... exf5? because of 21. e6! with an avalanche. On the other hand, 20. ... Nxe5? 21. fxe6 is likewise disastrous. Finally, if 20. ... Rf8 White continues 21. Rxc5! Nxc5 22. Qg3! with an overwhelming attack. 21. fxe6 Nxe5. Also 21. ... fxe6 22. Rxc5! Nxc5 23. Nxe6! gives Black no hope at all. 22. Rxc5! Qxc5 23. Nf5 Qb5. If 23. ... Qc6 then 24. exf7 Qf6 25. Bd4 Bd3 26. Bxe5 Qxf5 27. Bc7! Rf8 28. Bd6 winning decisive material. 24. e7! Nd3

25. Nh6! Nxf2. Or 25. ... gxh6 26. Qf6+ Kg8 27. Bxf7 mate. 26. Nxf7+ 1 : 0. White wins as she pleases; for instance: 26. ... Kg8 27. Nxd8+ Kh8 28. Nf7+ (a kind of windmill) 28. ... Kg8 29. Nd6+ Kh8 30. Bxf2 with mate coming soon.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk (left) vs. Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (right). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.