Off Season

Agnieszka Buchta – Désirée Di Benedetto
32nd World Youth Chess Championship Girls Under-18; Porto Carras, October 23, 2018
2r1b3/1p4p1/pP1kp1p1/P2pN3/3B1K1P/2P3P1/5P2/8 b - - 6 35

Position after 35. Kf3-f4

Black is the Exchange ahead, but, in return, she’s wholly tied up to the defence of the g6-Pawn, which gives White — who’s also threatening Kf4-g5 — enough compensation, despite of material unbalance. Di Benedetto then clings to her significant time advantage (she has more than 16 minutes left, while her opponent is down to 50 seconds), and goes all out by speculatively returning the Exchange so as to attack White’s Queenside Pawns: 35. ... Rc5!? 36. Kg5?? Buchta has not time to think, and moves on as nothing were happened. Instead, she ought to have played 36. Bxc5+ Kxc5 37. Ke3! d4+! 38. Kd3 dxc3 39. Kxc3 Kd5 (not 39. ... Kb5? on account of 40. Kd4! Kxa5? 41. Kc5 and Black is in zugzwang) 40. Nd3 e5 with a likely draw in prospect. 36. ... Rxa5. Now the ending is easily won. 37. Nxg6 Bxg6 38. Kxg6 e5 39. Be3 Ra1 40. h5 Rh1 41. Bg5 d4! 42. cxd4 exd4 43. Bd2 Kc5 44. g4 Kb5 45. Kxg7 a5 46. h6 a4 47. h7 Rxh7+ 48. Kxh7 a3 49. g5 a2 50. g6 a1=Q 51. g7 Qb1+ 52. Kh6 Qh1+ 53. Kg6 Qe4+ 54. Kh6 Qe6+ 55. Kh7 Qf5+ 56. Kh6 Qf7 57. Kh7 Kxb6 58. Bh6 Kc5 59. Bd2 b5 60. f4 b4 61. Kh8 Qh5+ 62. Kg8 b3 63. Kf8 Qf5+ 64. Ke7 Qg6 65. Kf8 Qf6+ 0 : 1.