Half of One Thing

Marie Rachel Sebag – Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik
1st Cairns Cup; Saint Louis, February 7, 2019
Spanish Game C84

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. d3 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. a3 0-0 9. Nc3 Bg4 10. Be3 Nd4 11. Bxd4 exd4 12. Nd5 c5. If 12. ... Nd7 then 13. h3 Bxf3 14. Qxf3 c6 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Qg3↑ with f2-f4 in the offing, Domínguez Pérez – Eljanov, 50th Capablanca Memorial, Havana 2015. 13. h3 Be6 14. Nf4 Bxb3 15. cxb3. The White doubled b-Pawn being ready to advance (b3-b4) is anything but a weakness. 15. ... Nd7 16. Rc1!? A new move, or, more precisely, a new move order, none too different in its strategic essentials from 16. Re1 Re8 17. Nd5 Nb6 18. Nxb6 Qxb6 19. Qd2 Bf6 20. g3 h6 21. h4 Rac8 22. Rac1 Qb7 23. Qf4 Qd7 24. Kg2 Qe6 25. Rcd1 Be5 26. Qd2 Qxb3 27. Nh2 c4 28. dxc4 Rxc4 29. Re2 Rec8 30. Qd3 Qxd3 31. Rxd3 Rc2 32. Red2 Rxd2 33. Rf3 d3 34. Rxd3 Rxd3 ½ : ½ Spasov – 叶江川 (Yè Jiāngchuān), 1st Open Ruy López, Zafra 2007. 16. ... Nb6 17. Re1 Rc8 18. Rc2 Bf6 19. Nh5 Be5 20. Nxe5. Sebag tries her luck on the Kingside, for there aren’t particular perspectives on the other flank: if 20. b4 then 20. ... Na4 with an unclear balance. 20. ... dxe5 21. Qd2 g6 22. Ng3 Qd6 23. Rec1 Rc6 24. Qg5. With the obvious threat of Ng3-f5. 24. ... f6 25. Qg4 Kf7. This King “self-defence” solves some problems but not others. However, it’s questionable that Black may save it in most variations. Whatever it is, now Sebag takes a risky but probably necessary gamble in enthusiastically throwing herself into the brawl: 26. f4 exf4 27. Ne2

27. ... Rfc8. 27. ... Nd7! 28. Nxf4 Ne5 might have been a little more promising, perhaps. 28. Nxf4 c4 29. bxc4 bxc4 30. dxc4 Rxc4. 30. ... Nxc4 looks better, but, indeed, after 31. Qh4 Kg7 32. Nd3! White’s position is sound and safe; for instance: 32. ... Ne3 33. e5! fxe5 34. Rxc6 Rxc6 35. Rxc6 Qxc6 36. Qe7+ with perpetual check. 31. Rxc4 Rxc4 32. Rxc4 Nxc4 33. Qc8. That’s all: Black’s King cannot escape perpetual check. 33. ... Ne3 34. Qb7+ Kg8 35. Qc8+ Kf7 36. Qb7+ Kg8 37. Qc8+ Kf7 ½ : ½.

Marie Rachel Sebag vs. Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik. Photo © Austin Fuller/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.