Semitone

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Oksana Igorevna Gritsayeva
68th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Satka, September 3, 2018
Modern Benoni A61

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nf3 g6 7. Bf4 Bg7 8. e3 0-0 9. Be2 a6 10. a4 Re8 11. Nd2 Nbd7. Black sacrifices a Pawn in the hope of compensating it by dynamic means. If 11. ... Qc7 then 12. Nc4 Bf8 13. a5 Nbd7 14. Na4 Ne5 15. Ncb6 Rb8 16. 0-0 with a definite edge for White, 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié) – 袁烨 (Yuán Yè), 40th Chinese Women’s Chess Championship, 興化 (Xīnghuà) 2016. 12. Bxd6 Nb6 13. Bxc5 Nfxd5 14. Bxb6. Not 14. a5?? because of 14. ... Nxc3 15. bxc3 Nd5∓ and Black regains the Pawn with heavy interest, Mihajlov – Scharrer, 12th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2014. 14. ... Nxb6 15. 0-0 Bf5? Here the Bishop stands quite badly, nullifying all Black’s hopes to get compensation. Best was 15. ... Be6! (covering both b3 and c4) in order to reply 16. Nf3 (if 16. Bf3 then 16. ... Re7! followed by ... Re7-d7) with 16. ... Qe7! eventually followed by ... Ra8-d8. 16. Nf3! White’s Knight heads to d4 with a consolidating effect. 16. ... Qxd1. 16. ... Rc8 17. Nd4(!) doesn’t make too much difference. 17. Rfxd1 Rac8 18. Nd4. Now follows a long phase in which White manoeuvres in order to turn her extra Pawn into a more definitive advantage. Very probably Black could have played better even somewhere before next note. 18. ... Nc4 19. Bxc4 Rxc4 20. h3 Rb4 21. Rd2 Be6 22. Nxe6 fxe6 23. Ra3 Rc8 24. Kf1 Kf8 25. Ke2 Ke7 26. Kd1 Rcc4 27. a5 Rc5 28. Rc2 Be5 29. Kc1 g5 30. Nd1 Rcb5 31. Ra2 Kd7 32. Nc3

32. ... Rc5? 32. ... Bxc3(!) 33. bxc3 Rc4 34. Ra3± was probably Black’s best bet to retain some drawing chances in a four-Rook endgame (or else a two-Rook endgame) a Pawn down. Now Goryachkina finishes the game with confident and powerful technique. 33. Na4 Rc6 34. Nc5+ Kd6 35. Nd3 Rbc4 36. Rxc4 Rxc4+ 37. Kd2 Bf6 38. Ra3 Bd8 39. b3 Rc8 40. Ra4 Bf6 41. f3 Bc3+ 42. Kd1 Kd5 43. h4 h6 44. hxg5 hxg5 45. Rg4 Bf6 46. Rb4 Rc3 47. Kd2 Rc7 48. e4+ Kd6 49. Rb6+ Kd7 50. e5 Bd8 51. b4 Be7 52. Ke3 g4 53. fxg4 Rc4 54. Rxb7+ Ke8 55. b5 axb5 56. a6 Bg5+ 57. Ke2 Rc2+ 58. Kf1 Be3 59. a7 1 : 0.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (pictured from behind) vs. Oksana Igorevna Gritsayeva (foreground). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.