Queenkeeping

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; match game 1; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 12, 2018

Queen’s Pawn Game A40

In spite of her lively play, 17th Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) did not succeed — at least today — in breaking the resistance put up by the young Uzbekistani Woman Grandmaster Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova. 1. d4 e6 2. c4 b6 3. e4 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Bxd2+ 5. Qxd2 d5 6. Bd3 Ba6 7. cxd5 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 exd5 9. Ne2. If 9. Qg3 then 9. ... dxe4 10. Qxg7 Qf6 11. Qg4 Nc6 12. Nc3 Qg6 13. Qxe4+ Qxe4+ 14. Nxe4 Nxd4 15. 0-0-0 0-0-0= Girya – van Foreest, 80th Tata Steel GpB, Wijk aan Zee 2018. 9. ... Ne7 10. e5 c5 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Nbc3 Nbc6 13. f4 Qd7 14. b3 Rac8 15. Rad1 Rfd8 16. dxc5 bxc5. A typical position with hanging Pawns has suddenly arisen. 17. Ng3. 17. Ne4(!) seems a little more intriguing. 17. ... Qe6 18. Rfe1 c4! 19. bxc4 Nb4 20. Qe2 dxc4!? Maybe there’s nothing wrong with it, but 20. ... Qb6+ 21. Kh1 dxc4 seems safer.

21. Rd6! 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) puts all her energy in the exploitation of her plusses, but — quite unfortunately — she won’t be able to produce a forced win. 21. ... Rxd6 22. exd6 Ned5 23. Nxd5. Interesting also was 23. Qxe6 fxe6 24. f5!, but after 24. ... e5! (24. ... Nxc3 25. fxe6 may well turn into a nightmare) 25. Rxe5 Nxc3 26. d7 Rf8 27. Rc5 Rd8 28. Rc8 Nc6 29. Rxc6 Rxd7 30. Rxc4 Nxa2 it takes much imagination to figure that Black can’t eventually save herself. 23. ... Nxd5 24. Qxe6 fxe6 25. f5! e5! (25. ... exf5?? 26. d7+−) 26. Rxe5 Nf6 27. Ne4 Rd8 28. Kf1 Nxe4 29. Rxe4 c3 30. Rc4 Rxd6 31. Rxc3 Ra6 32. a3 Kf7 33. Kf2 Kf6 34. g4 h5 35. gxh5 Kxf5 36. Rg3 Ra4 37. Kg2 Kf6 38. Kh3 Ra5 39. Kh4 Ra4+ 40. Kh3 Ra5 41. Kh4 Ra4+ 42. Kh3 Ra5 ½ : ½.

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