Friday, November 16, 2018

Beyond the Crown

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Alexandra Konstantinvna Kosteniuk
Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 2; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 16, 2018
Sicilian Defence B40

Thus, all along her way, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) reached the final of the Knockout World Championship Tournament easily and smoothly, but only time will tell whether it is an advantage or a disadvantage. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 b6!? 5. Nc3 Bb7 6. f3 Nc6 7. e4 e6 8. Be3 Bb4 9. Be2 0-0 10. 0-0 Qb8 11. Nxc6!? 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) presents her plain and simple novelty. After 11. a3? Bd6! (Pomar Salamanca – Jansson, 18th Chess Olympiad, Lugano 1968) White seems not to have anything better than 12. g3 (in which case there might follow 12. ... Bxg3 13. hxg3 Qxg3+ with at least a draw by perpetual check). More recent theory, instead, was concerned with 11. Rc1 Bd6 12. f4 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 e5 14. Qd2 Bb4 15. fxe5 Qxe5 16. Bd4 ½ : ½ Vallejo Pons – Comas Fabrego, Zonal Tournament 1.1, Mondariz 2000. 11. ... Bxc6 12. Qd3 a6 13. a3 Bd6 14. f4 Bc7 15. Rad1 Qb7 16. Bf3 d6 17. a4. White is content with a typical Hedgehog position, in which she will do anything but prevent any of Black’s possible breaks. 17. ... Rad8 18. Qc2 Rc8 19. Rd2 Bb8 20. Qb1 Qc7 21. Rc1 Bb7 22. b3 Nd7 23. g3 Rfd8 24. Bg2 Nf6 25. h3 Rd7 26. Rcd1 Rcd8. Kosteniuk is desperately seeking for some controversial counterblow in the centre, along the lines of what happened, for instance, in the game Karpov – U. Andersson, International Chess Tournament, Milan 1975. Of course, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) won’t allow her to move a leaf. 27. Qd3 Bc6 28. Qe2 Ba7 29. Kh2 Ne8 30. Qf2 Rb8 31. Qe2 Rdd8 32. Qf2 Rdc8


33. f5. By now 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) felt confident enough to deliver a blow first. 33. ... Rb7 34. Bd4 Bb8 35. Rc2 Qe7 36. Re1 Qd8 37. Rf1 e5 38. Be3 b5 39. cxb5 axb5 40. Rfc1. No waste of imagination. White plays safely for a draw, which ensures her the final. 40. ... bxa4 41. bxa4 Bc7 42. Bf1 Ra8 43. Bb5 Bxb5 44. Nxb5 Qd7 45. Rc4 Bd8 46. Qc2 g6 47. fxg6 hxg6 48. Rc8 Ra6 49. Qc4 Kg7 50. Rc2 Nf6 51. Nc3 Ra5 52. Qc6 Qxc6 53. Rxc6 d5 54. exd5 Nxd5 55. Nxd5 Rxd5 56. R6c5 Rxc5 57. Bxc5 e4 58. Bd4+ Bf6 59. Bxf6+ Kxf6 60. a5 Ra7 61. Ra2 Ra6 62. Kg2 Ke5 63. Kf2 g5 64. g4 Kf4 65. Ra4 f6 66. Ra2 f5 67. gxf5 Kxf5 68. Ra4 Kf4 69. Ra3 Ke5 70. Ra4 Kf5 71. Ra2 Kf4 72. Ra3 Ke5 ½ : ½. “I had White in the second game, so it was easier to hold a draw. Alexandra Kosteniuk is a great chess player and she has a very good result against me in the previous games. I was really lucky to win and to qualify for the final”, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) eventually said.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.

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