Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Гордиев узел (Gordian Knot)

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Olga Alexandrovna Girya
68th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; tie-break rapid game 1 (15+10); Satka, September 5, 2018
8/p3k3/1p2pp2/4n2p/P6P/1P2NQP1/5P1K/2q5 w - - 4 32

Position after 31. ... Nf7-e5

For the second time in her career, Natalia Andreevna Pogonina became Russian Women’s Chess Champion, if only on tie-break, after winning a two-game rapid match with Olga Alexandrovna Girya, who had tied for first place with her. In the position of the diagram, Girya has just offered a Pawn sacrifice (with 31. ... Ne5!): 32. Qxh5 Qe1? What a pity! After 32. ... Qc6! the domination of the a8-h1 diagonal would have certainly provided Black with excellent compensation. 33. Kg2 Qb4? And now 33. ... Qb1! would have made White’s task quite more difficult, if not impossible. 34. Qh7+ Kf8 35. Qc2 Qe7 36. Qe4 Kg7?? And this, after so many misfortunes (and being in a by now hopeless cause), is Black’s last blunder. 37. f4! White wins the Knight due to the threat of Ne3-f5+. 37. ... Ng6 38. h5 f5 39. Qd4+ 1 : 0. Curiously also, the unisex title was determined through a two-game rapid playoff in favour of Dmitry Vladimirovich Andreikin, who defeated Dmitry Olegovich Jakovenko in the second game of their tie-break.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina (left) vs. Olga Alexandrovna Girya (right). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.

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