Storytime

Dinara Saduakassova – Antoaneta Stefanova

Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament; tie-break game 1 (25+10); Khanty-Mansiysk, November 8, 2018

Two Knights Game C55

Today Caïssa wanted to save all her Queens, including Antoaneta Stefanova (10th Women’s World Chess Champion). 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 h6!? 5. 0-0 d6 6. c3 g5!? 7. Be3. Dogmatically speaking, 7. d4 should be regarded as a strategic imperative; for instance: 7. ... g4 8. Ne1 Bg7 (8. ... Nxe4 9. f3!?) 9. d5 Ne7 10. Bd3 Ng6 11. c4 h5 12. Nc3 Kf8 13. g3 with advantage to White, Dolmatov – Vasiukov, Moscow 1987 — but, of course, Black definitely could have played better. 7. ... Bg7 8. Nbd2 0-0 9. d4 Qe7!? Given the format and significance of the game, Stefanova plays for tactics. In a recent game Black went for the Bishop pair advantage by 9. ... exd4 10. Nxd4 Ne5 11. Be2 Neg4! with very comfortable play, Fossan – Hammer, Norwegian Team Chess League 2017/2018, Oslo/Stavanger 2018. 10. Qc2 Kh8 11. dxe5 dxe5 12. b4 b6 13. a4 a5 14. b5 Nd8 15. Nb3. White’s Queenside campaign won’t be fast enough to oppose Black’s initiative on the Kingside. The text seems quite insensitive to the issue, if nothing else because it also gives Black a tempo. 15. ... Bb7 16. Bd3 Nh5 17. c4? And perhaps here White misses her last chance to defend; 17. Rfe1(!) appears to be much more advisable, so as to prevent ... f7-f5 and make room for the Bishop on f1. 17. ... f5! 18. Bc1 (Δ Bc1-a3) 18. ... c5! Neutralising any of White’s velleities on the Queenside. 19. Re1? Too late. Good or bad, White had to play 19. bxc6 Nxc6 20. Ba3 Nb4, though with a powerful advantage to Black. 19. ... g4 20. Nfd2 f4. Black’s attack plays itself. 21. Nf1 (21. f3 Qh4−+) 21. ... Ne6 22. Bb2 Qh4 23. Rad1 g3 24. fxg3 fxg3 25. hxg3. If 25. h3 then 25. ... Rf2 finis. 25. ... Nxg3 26. Nxg3 Qxg3 27. Bc1 Nf4 28. Bxf4 Rxf4 29. Bf1 Raf8. With the final threat of ... Rf4-h4 followed by ... Qg3-h2 mate. 30. Rd3 Qxe1 0 : 1.

Dinara Saduakassova vs. Antoaneta Stefanova. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.