The Day Before The Day After

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina – Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik
1st Cairns Cup; Saint Louis, February 14, 2019
English Opening A34

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb4 6. Bc4 Nd3+ 7. Ke2 Nf4+ 8. Kf1 Nd3. With a silent draw offer (9. Ke2 Nf4+ 10. Kf1). 9. Qe2 Nxc1 10. Rxc1 e6 11. e5. Or 11. h4 a6 12. e5 Nc6 13. Bd3 Bd7 14. Rh3 Rc8 15. Re1 b5? (Black first had to play 15. ... h6) 16. Ng5! Nd4 17. Qg4! and Black is in trouble, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Tari, Altibox Norway Chess Qualifier, Fagernes 2016. 11. ... Nc6 12. h4 Bd7. Abdumalik knows very well what she is doing, if nothing else, because she suffered a painful defeat not so long ago: 12. ... a6 13. Bd3 Be7 [13. ... Bd7 re-enters into the aforementioned 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) – Tari] 14. Rh3 Dc7 15. Rg3 g6 16. Qe3 Bd7 17. a3 b5 18. Rg4 c4 19. Be2 Rc8 20. h5 gxh5 21. Rg7 h6 22. Qf4 f5 23. d4 cxd3 24. Bxd3 Bf6 25. Nd5 exd5 26. Rxd7 Qxd7 27. exf6 Rd8 28. Bxf5 Qd6 29. Qe3+ Ne7 30. Rc6 Kf7 31. Rxd6 Nxf5 32. Qe6+ 1 : 0 Kulaots – Abdumalik, 16th Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2018. 13. Rh3 h6!? New but not in conflict with 13. ... Qb6, which after 14. Bb5 h6 15. Kg1 a6 16. Ba4 0-0-0 17. Bb3 Kb8 gave Black the best chances, Erdos – Svidler, 36th SchachBundesliga, Baden-Baden 2017. 14. Kg1 Qb6 15. Bb3. 15. Bb5 a6 would transpose into the aforementioned Erdos – Svidler. 15. ... 0-0-0!? 16. Na4 Qa5 17. Qe3 c4. The corollary of Black’s last two moves.

18. Bd1. Probably stronger and more critical was the Exchange sacrifice by 18. Rxc4!? b5 19. Rc5 Bxc5 (19. ... Qb4? 20. a3!+−) 20. Nxc5 with more than enough positional compensation. The text leaves White with a bit of an uncomfortable game. 18. ... Kb8 19. a3 Qb5 20. Rg3 f5! Black sacrifices a Pawn for the sake of the initiative. 21. exf6 gxf6 22. Qf4+ e5 23. Qxf6 Be7 24. Qf7? A strange case of collaboration. After 24. Qg6 Rhf8 25. Nc3 Qb6 the game is tremendously unclear but basically balanced. A sample variation is 26. Nd5 Qxb2 27. Nxe7 Qxc1 28. Qd6+ Ka8 29. Nd5! Qxd1+ 30. Kh2 Rc8 31. Rg7 Bh3! 32. Kxh3 Qh1+ 33. Nh2 Rfd8 34. Nc7+ Kb8 35. Na6++ with a draw by perpetual check. 24. ... Rhf8 25. Qh5 Bf5! 26. Qxh6. Desperation. 26. ... e4 27. Nc3 Qc5?! As usual, Abdumalik melodramatically self-destroys in the time scramble. Here 27. ... Qb6 was much simpler, so as to answer 28. Ne1 with 28. ... Qxb2 and 28. Ng5 with 28. ... e3! followed by ... Qb6xb2 with an overwhelming advantage in all cases. Nothing is yet lost for Black at this point, but what remains to be seen is hardly imaginable. 28. Ng5? A little better seems 28. Nh2 eventually followed by Nh2-f1-e3. 28. ... Rh8. Even stronger seems 28. ... Qd4 with too many threats for White to handle. 29. Ngxe4 Rxh6 30. Nxc5 Rxh4! 31. b4 Rdh8 32. Kf1 Bxc5?? The magnitude of the tragedy. After 32. ... Rh1+! 33. Ke2 Re8−+ White could well resign. 33. bxc5 Bd3+!? 33. ... Rh1+ 34. Ke2 Ne5 seems easier as well as more effective to put pressure on White’s position. 34. Rxd3 cxd3? 34. ... Rh1+! 35. Ke2 Re8+ 36. Ne4 (the only move!) 36. ... Rxe4+ 37. Kf3 Ree1 was (at least in theory) the only way to keep playing for a win. 35. f3! Rc4 36. Kf2 Rxc5 37. Rb1 Rh1 38. Ke3 Ra5 39. a4 Rg5 40. g4 Rh3. 40. ... Re5+ 41. Kxd3 Ree1 leaves Black with a material edge, but no serious chance of converting it into a win. 41. Ne4 Rg7 42. g5 Rf7 ½ : ½.

Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina vs. Zhansaya Daniyarovna Abdumalik. Photo © Crystal Fuller/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.