A Joy Forever

Chantal Chaudé de Silans – Clarice Benini
8th Women’s World Chess Championship; Moscow, December 26, 1949
Slav Defence D18

Notes by Alan Linnell Fletcher, The New Zealand Chessplayer, Vol. 3, No. 13, April 1950, p. 31.

Italy’s Benini produced a real beauty in the third round, adding one to those generally notable encounters in which the winning King, with heavy pieces in play against him, strolls up the board to beard his adversary in his den.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Ne2

This move is against the spirit of development. The Knight’s position at g3 is not worth the two moves taken to get him there. Undoubtedly better is 9. Qe2 or 9. Qb3, as in “M.C.O.” lines, but White can get no advantage against good play. The position shows up the best points of the Slav.
9. ... h6 10. Ng3 Bh7 11. Qe2 Nbd7 12. e4 Qe7 13. Ne5 Rad8

14. Nxd7. If this is White’s best move then her opening strategy has failed. It gives up two tempi (the difference in the move-value of the two Knights) and makes Black a present of the retaking Rook’s move in preparation for doubling the Rooks: playing the other fellow’s game with a vengeance. A better idea seems 14. f4 followed by Bc1-e3 and Ra1-d1.
14. ... Rxd7 15. e5 Nd5 16. Nh5 Kh8. Directed against the future combinative possibility of Nh5-f6+, Qe2-g4 and Bc1xh6 (in some order or other). Your master stops trouble before it arrives, if possible without in the process conceding positional weaknesses.
17. f4 Nb6. Well timed. White cannot save the “minor Exchange” and the d4-Pawn at the same time. Note that Blsck’s pressure is on the centre, while White is making passes at the King’s side only.
18. Be3 Nxc4 19. Qxc4 Rd5 20. Qc1 Rfd8 21. Rf3

21. ... Qh4! An alert move which gets the Queen into a good spot.
22. Rh3 Qg4 23. f5. A vacating sacrifice which is refuted by Black.
23. ... Bxf5 24. Nf4 Rxd4! 25. Bxd4 Rxd4 26. Rf3. The Knight cannot move (26. Nh5 Rd2 27. Qf1 — or 27. Ng3 — 27. ... Qd4+).
26. ... Bd2! The point of the combination.
27. Qc5 Bxf4 28. h3. The Rook is untouchable.

28. ... Qxf3!! Excellent! The Black Rook is still safe, and Black’s three pieces, she correctly judges, will outplay the Queen and Rook.
29. Qf8+ Kh7 30. gxf3 Rd2 31. Qb4 g5 32. Qxb7 Kg6 33. Re1 Bxh3 34. Qb8

34. ... Kh5! 35. Qg8 Kh4! 36. Qxf7 Kg3! 37. Qh5 Be3+! 0 : 1. Lovely chess. White did nothing very bad — and Black did something very good.