From Far Away

Anna Vitalievna Zatonskih – Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik
1st Cairns Cup; Saint Louis, February 6, 2019
Grünfeld Defence D84

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. e3 0-0 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Nxd5 Qxd5 8. Bxc7 Na6 9. Bxa6 Qxg2 10. Qf3 Qxf3 11. Nxf3 bxa6 12. Rc1 f6. Two years ago at the Kazakhstani Women’s Chess Championship Abdumalik continued 12. ... a5, but then after 13. Rg1 Bb7 14. Ne5 Rfc8 15. Kd2 Bd5 16. a3 Bxe5 17. Bxe5 a4 18. Bc7! White enjoyed a slight but lasting initiative, Nakhbayeva – Abdumalik, Almaty 2017. 13. Rg1 Rf7 14. b3 Bb7 15. Ke2 Re8. The alternative is 15. ... Bf8 16. Ba5 e6 17. Nd2 Re8 18. h4 e5∞ 李超 (Lǐ Chāo) – Giri, 4th Norway Chess, Stavanger 2016. 16. Rgd1 e6 17. Bd6 Rd7 18. Bc5 g5 19. Nd2 g4 20. Rg1 h5 21. h3. White temporarily sacrifices a Pawn, in return for which she consolidates the balance of position. 21. ... gxh3 22. e4. 22. f3 e5 makes not too much difference. 22. ... e5 23. d5 Rc7 24. b4? Maybe it’s not so wrong, but probably it’s not so necessary. 24. Bxa7 Rxc1 25. Rxc1 f5 could have lead to a clearer equality. 24. ... a5! 25. b5. If 25. d6 then 25. ... Ba6+ followed by ... Rc7-d7 with fine play for Black. 25. ... Rec8 26. d6 Rd7. Not 26. ... Rxc5? on account of 27. Rxc5! Rxc5 28. d7 Rc8! 29. dxc8=Q+ Bxc8 30. Nc4 a4 31. Ne3 and Black is in trouble. 27. Bxa7. After all, White can still hope for a draw, but with less than three minutes left on the clock, four-time U.S. Women’s Champion has no reason to feel relaxed. 27. ... Rxd6 28. Be3

28. ... Rxc1 (28. ... a4!∓) 29. Rxc1 f5 30. Nc4?? A fatal miscalculation, certainly due to Zatonskih’s dramatic time shortage. She probably mixed up her lines and forgot to first play 30. Rh1 Bc8 and then 31. Nc4 Rd8 32. Bb6 Rf8 with a very likely draw coming. 30. ... Rd8 31. f3. Now both 31. Bb6 and 31. exf5 lose to 31. ... Rc8, while if 31. Rh1 then 31. ... Bxe4 32. Rxh3 Bd3+ winning material. 31. ... fxe4 32. Nxa5 exf3+ 33. Kf2 Be4 34. b6 Bf6 35. Kg3 Rd3 36. Rc4?? The last blunder, but, by now, neither 36. Bf2 Rd2 37. b7 Bxb7 38. Nxb7 e4 nor 36. Nc6 Rd7! (Δ ... Rd7-g7+) could have saved White’s game. 36. ... Rxe3 0 : 1.

Anna Vitalievna Zatonskih vs. Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik. Photo © Austin Fuller/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.