Behind the Half Door

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina
68th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Satka, September 5, 2018
Caro-Kann Defence B13

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. Bd3. Goryachkina insists with playing this line, which, if nothing else, brought good luck to Bobby Fischer on second board in the USSR vs. Rest of the World match at Belgrade in 1970. 4. ... Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. h3 g6!? 6. ... e5!= is the old move of two centuries ago, and still today is probably the best for equalising. 7. Nf3 Bf5 8. Be2 Qc7 9. 0-0 Bg7 10. Be3 0-0 11. Nbd2 Rab8!? Just a few days earlier there had occurred 11. ... a6 12. Re1 b5 13. Nb3 Ne4 14. Nfd2 Rfd8 15. Bf1 Na5 16. Nxa5 Qxa5 17. Nb3 Qb6 18. f3 Nd6 19. Bf2 Nc4 20. Qc1 Ra7 21. a3 a5 22. Nc5 a4 23. g4 Bc8 24. Bg2 Qd6 25. Nd3 Rc7 26. Re2 f6 27. Qe1 e5 28. Rd1 Bb7 29. h4 Re8 30. Bg3 Rce7 31. Qf2 Qd8 32. Nc5 Bc6 33. Rde1 Qc8 34. Kh2 Bf8 35. Bh3 exd4 36. cxd4 Rxe2 37. Rxe2 Rxe2 38. Qxe2 Qe8 39. Qf2 Qe3 40. Qxe3 Nxe3 41. Be1 Kf7 42. Nd3 Bd6+ 43. Kg1 Nc4 44. Kf2 Bd7 45. Bf1 h5 46. Be2 Bf8 47. Bc3 Bh6 48. Nc5 Bc8 49. gxh5 gxh5 50. Bxc4 dxc4 51. Ne4 Bf4 52. Bd2 Bc7 53. Nc3 Bd7 54. Nd5 Bd6 55. Bb4 Bc6 56. Bxd6 ½ : ½ Goryachkina – Girya, 68th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal, Satka 2018. 12. a4 Rbe8 13. Rc1 h6 14. b4 Rc8 15. Re1 Rfd8 16. b5 Na5 17. g4 Be6 18. Bd3 Nc4 19. Nxc4 dxc4 20. Bf1 h5 21. Ne5 hxg4 22. hxg4 Nd7 23. Nxd7 Qxd7 24. f3 a6 25. bxa6 bxa6 26. Bf4 Rc6 27. Rb1 Bd5 28. Bg2 a5 29. Be5 Ra6 30. Bxg7 Kxg7 31. f4 Bxg2 32. Kxg2 Rf6 33. Kg3. A very confused position has arisen, in which both Kings are quite exposed.

33. ... Rh8. Gunina doesn’t show any interest in 33. ... g5 34. fxg5 Qd6+ 35. Re5 Re6 36. Qe2 Rxe5 37. Qxe5+ Qxe5+ 38. dxe5 Rd3+ 39. Kf4 Rxc3 with a draw coming soon. 34. Re5 Qd6 35. Qf3. 35. Qe1(!) Rb8(!) 36. Rxb8 Qxb8 37. Qe3 Qb3 38. Rxa5 Re6 39. Re5 Rxe5 40. Qxe5+ Kh7 41. Qe3 Qa3 leads White to a likely drawn Queen ending a Pawn up. 35. ... Qa3 36. Rbe1 Qb2. Threatening ... Qb2-h2 mate. 37. R1e2 Qb1 38. Re1 Qc2 39. R5e2 Qxa4 40. g5!? Who knows, maybe Goryachkina should have contented herself with 40. Rxe7 g5 41. f5 Qc2 42. R7e2 Qd3 43. Re3 Qd2 44. R3e2 Qd3 eventually drawing by repetition. 40. ... Rf5 41. Rxe7 Rh5! With the threat of ... Rh5xg5+. 42. Qe3? Two-time Russian Women’s Champion must have felt bitter at having missed so many times her chance to tie for first place and force a best-of-three tie-break for the title. Here White had to play 42. Qe4(!), holding everything together with a likely draw in prospect. 42. ... Qc2! Now the Queen penetration puts White’s King under a heavy crossfire. 43. Re2 Qb1 44. Re1? This hastens the end, but 44. Rh2 couldn’t offer much more: 44. ... Rxh2 45. Kxh2 Rb5! 46. Kg3 Qd3 and Black must win. 44. ... Qb8! Threatening both ... Rf5xg5+ and ... Rh5xg5+. 45. Kg2. Neither 45. Re8 Rfxg5+ nor 45. Kg4 Qh8 could have offered longer resistance. 45. ... Qa8+ 46. Re4 a4 47. Kg1 a3 48. d5 Rxd5 49. Qb6 Rf5 50. Qd4+ Kh7 51. Ra1 a2 52. Qxc4 Qb7! 53. Qd4 Qb2 54. c4 Qh2+ 55. Kf1 Rhxg5 56. c5 Rg2 0 : 1.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (left) vs. Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina (right). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.