Over–under

朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina

Knockout Women’s World Chess Championship Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 6, 2018

Vienna Game C26

The knockout format offered today a telling display of its potentialities, with lots of unexpected results, so much and so many that Alisa Mikhailovna Galliamova, who defeated the much favoured Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina, chivalrously declared: “The current system of determining the champion is nonsense. Everybody is on edge, everybody can lose a single game and get eliminated. I don’t think such competitions deserve the World Championship status. I am happy that we are coming back to a former system”. In the meantime, waiting for Godot (and Beckett), one cannot but tell about the chilling thrills of the last swansong in the snow, such as the win of Iranian Woman International Master Mobina Alinasab against Polish Grandmaster Monika Bobrowska-Soćko, and the fulminating victory of Chinese Woman International Master 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) over two-time Russian Women’s Chess Champion Natalia Andreevna Pogonina. Of course tomorrow is just another day. 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Be7 4. Bg2 0-0 5. Nge2 c5 6. d3. Or else 6. h3 d6 7. g4 Nc6 8. Ng3 Nd4 9. d3 b5∞ Zichichi – Wagman, 18th International Festival, La Spezia 1971. 6. ... d6 7. h3 Nc6 8. f4 Rb8 9. a4 a6 10. f5 h6 11. 0-0 b5 12. axb5 axb5 13. Nd5 Nxd5 14. exd5 Nd4 15. c3 Nxe2+. 15. ... Nxf5 may lead to dangerous rhythms after 16. Be4 g6 17. Bxf5 gxf5 18. Bxh6 Re8 19. Nf4!? exf4 20. Qh5 — whatever it is, Pogonina didn’t like it. 16. Qxe2 Bb7? A unhappy move which loses control of the diagonal c8-h3, thus leaving White with free hands on the Kingside (Qe2-g4, f5-f6). The immediate 16. ... Bf6 appears more to the point, with the aim to get counterplay on the Queenside as soon as possible. 17. Be4 Bf6 18. h4 Re8 19. Qh5. Threatening 20. g4! Bxh4 21. f6! Bxf6 22. g5! hxg5 23. Bh7+ Kf8 24. Bxg5! with devastating attack. 19. ... Ra8. If 19. ... Qe7 (defending f7) then 20. Kh2! with continuations similar to those of the game. 20. Rxa8 Bxa8

21. Kh2! With the trivial threat of g3-g4-g5. Out of desperation Pogonina makes a diversion on the Queenside: 21. ... c4 22. dxc4. White gives a bit of satisfaction to her opponent, even if just for a moment. 22. g4 followed by g4-g5 would have forced matters toward a prompt conclusion. 22. ... bxc4 23. Kh3. Of course, g3-g4-g5 was still a convincing argument. 23. ... Qa5 24. Qf3 Rb8 25. g4. Finally! 25. ... Rb5. 25. ... Qd8 26. Qg3 followed by g4-g5 makes no difference. 26. g5 hxg5 27. hxg5 Bd8 28. Rd1! Really merciless! 28. ... Qa7 29. Kg3 Qb7 30. Qh5 Rxb2 31. f6 gxf6 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. g6! Rb3 34. g7+ Ke7 35. g8=Q Rxc3+ 36. Kh2 1 : 0.

First row, second table from left: 朱锦尔 (Zhū Jǐn’ěr) (right) vs. Natalia Andreevna Pogonina (left). Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.