One Plus One Makes One

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 19, 2018

King’s Indian Defence E61

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno never played a classic game against each other before. So, if the first game is indicative of the trend, on one side there is 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) with her slow and steady strategic play, while on the other side Lagno, who’s usually as sober as her opponent, goes seeking for sharp tactics. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. g3 c6 5. e4 d5 6. cxd5 cxd5 7. e5 Ne4 8. Nge2 Nc6 9. Bg2 Bg4 10. f3 Nxc3 11. Nxc3!? Previous theory gave only 11. bxc3, but 11. ... Bd7 12. 0-0 Na5(!) is nothing special for White, Rakhmanov – Kozul, European Blitz Chess Championship, Tallinn 2016. 11. ... Be6 12. f4 Qb6 13. Bxd5 Rd8 14. Bxe6 fxe6 15. Be3 Qxb2. Not 15. ... Nxd4(?) on account of 16. 0-0 with the threat of Rf1-f2-d2. 16. Ne2 Bh6 (Δ ... Nc6xe5) 17. Bf2. Simpler and possibly better was 17. Qb1(!) Qa3 18. Qb3 with a definite edge for White. 17. ... g5 18. Rb1 Qa3 19. Qb3 Qa5+ 20. Kf1 gxf4 21. gxf4 Rf8 22. Qf3? They both start losing control, due to mutual time shortness. Here White ought to play 22. Qxe6 Bxf4 23. Rxb7 Qa4 24. Kg2 Bxe5!∞ (25. dxe5?? Qe4+−+). 22. ... Qxa2? Lagno misses the chance to seize the upper hand by 22. ... Bxf4!∓ (23. Nxf4?? Rxd4−+). 23. Kg2? The King’s self-defence too was in the air, but not now. Probably best was 23. Rxb7 Qa6 with very unclear play.

23. ... Qd5? Black misses her second chance to play for the highest stakes: 23. ... Rg8+! 24. Kh3 Qc2! (threatening 25. ... Qf5+ 26. Kh4 Bg5+! with mate in a few moves) 25. Ng3 Nxd4 26. Bxd4 Rxd4 remaining two Pawns to the good. 24. Qxd5 Rxd5 25. Rxb7 Bxf4 26. Rc7 Nd8 27. Rxa7 Rd7 28. Ra8 Rb7 29. Rha1 Bh6 30. R1a2 Kf7 31. Rc2 Kg6 32. Ra3 Kg7 33. Rg3+ Kf7 34. Rf3+ Ke8 35. Rh3 Rg8+ 36. Rg3 ½ : ½. “It feels neither of us had serious chances at any point today, so the result is fair. In any case, I didn’t see any better alternatives for me, while 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) was clearly trying to play it safe and solid. Although I did not see anything crushing for her too”, Lagno eventually said.

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