Seasonality

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Zhansaya Abdumalik

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; tie-break game 3; time control: 10 minutes plus 10 seconds; Khanty-Mansiysk, November 14, 2018

8/8/N7/1K1k4/8/r7/8/2R5 b - - 0 86

Position after 86. Kb6xb5

The younger Muzychuk sister needed to play till the last blitz game just to be sure of winning over the very gifted Kazakhstani Woman Grandmaster Zhansaya Abdumalik. The third tie-break game (ten minutes) was characterised by something momentous, as after defending in an endgame Rook + Knight vs. Rook Abdumalik could have claimed a draw according to the fifty-move rule, despite being mated in two moves. Instead, she resigned. So Muzychuk advances to semi-final, with a ticket for the “coming soon” Women’s Candidates Tournament, and probably being happy not to have to stuff her sweater into the suitcase. 86. ... Rb3+ 87. Nb4+ Kd4 88. Rc4+ Ke5 89. Kc5 Rb1 90. Nc6+ Ke6 91. Re4+ Kf5 92. Re8 Rc1+ 93. Kd5 Rd1+ 94. Nd4+ Kf4 95. Rf8+ Kg4 96. Ke4 Re1+ 97. Kd3 Re7 98. Rf1 Re8 99. Rf7 Rd8 100. Re7 Ra8 101. Ke4 Kg5 102. Re6 Ra4 103. Rb6 Rc4 104. Ra6 Rb4 105. Ke5 Rb1 106. Nc2 Rb3 107. Ke4 Rb8 108. Re6 Ra8 109. Nd4 Ra4 110. Rb6 Rc4 111. Ra6 Rb4 112. Ra5+ Kg4 113. Ra1 Kg5 114. Ke5 Kg6 115. Rg1+ Kf7 116. Rf1+ Kg6 117. Rf6+ Kg5 118. Rf4 Rb1 119. Ne6+ Kg6 120. Rg4+ Kf7 121. Rg7+ Ke8 122. Nc7+ Kf8 123. Rd7 Re1+ 124. Kd6 Rd1+ 125. Nd5 Re1 126. Ra7 Re2 127. Nf4 Re1 128. Ne6+ Kg8 129. Rg7+ Kh8 130. Rf7 Ra1 131. Re7 Rd1+ 132. Ke5 Re1+? Both 132. ... Rf1 and 132. ... Kg8 would have lead to a theoretical draw. 133. Kf6 Rf1+ 134. Kg6 Rg1+ 135. Ng5 1 : 0. “It wasn’t easy at all, my opponent fought very well. Two times I won the first game and then couldn’t even make a draw in the second ones. I tried to be calm and maybe this helped me”, Muzychuk eventually said about her tie-break victory.

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk vs. Zhansaya Abdumalik. Photo © Press service of the Women’s World Championship 2018.