Invisible Walls

Clarice Benini – Edith Keller-Hermann
8th Women’s World Chess Championship; Moscow, December 30, 1949
Neo-Queen’s Indian Defence A47

Notes by Edith Keller-Hermann, Schach-Express, Vol. 4, No. 4, February 1950, p. 52.

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 e6 5. 0-0 c5 6. c3 Be7 7. b3 0-0 8. Bb2 d5 9. Nbd2 Nc6 10. c4 Rc8 11. Rc1 dxc4 12. Nxc4 b5 13. Ne3. 13. Nce5 also came into consideration, whereupon I intended to proceed with 13. ... Nxe5 14. Nxe5 Bxg2.
13. ... Qb6 14. Nc2 Rfd8 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Qe1 Ne4 17. e3

As a result of her passive play, White ended up in a depressed position. With the text move, White intends to shore up d4. It gravely weakens d3, but Black will fail to take advantage of it.
17. ... b4 18. Nfd4 Ne7? Black misjudges the importance of the weakness at d3. 18. ... Ne5 would probably have soon led to decisive outcomes.
19. Kh1 e5 20. Nf3 f6 21. h3 Nf5. The planned transfer of the Knight via d6 to b5 is too slow. Massing on the d-file was probably more promising.
22. Kh2 a5 23. Rd1 Nfd6 24. Nd2 Nxd2 25. Rxd2 Ne4 26. Rxd8+ Rxd8 27. f3 Ng5 28. Qc1 Qd6 29. Ne1 Bb6 30. Rf2 Rc8 31. Rd2? The previous exchanges brought White a little relief, but now she goes astray.
31. ... Rxc1 32. Rxd6 Rxe1 33. Rxb6 Nxf3+ 34. Bxf3 Bxf3 35. g4 Rxe3 36. Bc1 Rc3 37. Bd2 Rc2 38. Rd6 Rxa2. The game being hopeless, White surrendered after a few more moves.
39.Kg3 Be4 40.g5 Kf7 41.Be3 Rb2 42.h4 Rxb3 43.Kf2 a4 44.h5 a3 45.h6 gxh6 46.Rxf6+ Kg7 47.Re6 hxg5 48.Rxe5 Rxe3 0 : 1.