Interruptions

王安妮 (Annie Wáng) – 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú)
58th U.S. Women’s Chess Championship; Saint Louis, March 24, 2019
Slav Defence D17

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 f6 12. 0-0 Rd8 13. Qc1 Be6 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Qe3. Back in the 1930s, 4th World Chess Champion Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine continued here with 15. a5 a6 16. Ne4 Bb4 17. Nc5 Bc8 18. Bxe5 fxe5 19. f4?, but after 19. ... Bd2! Black finally survived the attack and won, Alekhine – Euwe, Ermelo 1935, World Chess Championship match game 21. 15. ... Qa5? This is a mistake that could cost 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) dear. Correct was 15. ... Qb6 16. Qxb6 (after 16. Qc1 Qa5 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. a5 a6 19. Ra4 Rd4 Black has more than equalised, Gyimesi – Beliavsky, 50th Yugoslav Team Chess Championship, Vrnjačka Banja 1998) 16. ... axb6 17. a5 bxa5 18. Rxa5 Bb4= Becker – Lichtenstein, Vienna 1935. 16. Bxe5 fxe5 17. Qg5!→ Qc7

18. Ne4? This lets slip White’s big chance to play for mate. Much stronger was 18. Rad1!, so as to continue to keep Black’s King stuck in the centre. 18. ... Bb4 19. Qh5+ Bf7 20. Qg4 Bb3. Not 20. ... 0-0? on account of 21. Nf6+ Kh8 22. Nxh7! Kxh7 23. Qxb4 winning a valuable Pawn with much the better position. 21. Qf5. 21. Nf6+ gxf6 22. Qxb4 Be6 23. a5 a6 doesn’t seem to give anything special. Probably best was 21. Ng5!? Qe7 22. Nxh7 winning a not-so-valuable Pawn, but yet better than nothing. 21. ... Bf7 22. Rad1 0-0. Black eventually castled, and she must have felt as if the worst was finally over. 23. Ng5 Bg6 24. Qg4 Qe7. 24. ... Be7 allows 25. Ne6 Qc8 (alas for Black, 25. ... Bf5?? is unplayable here due to 26. Qxg7 mate) 26. h4 maintaining some pressure. 25. h4 a5 26. Qc4+ Bf7 27. Qc2 g6 28. Bh3 Kg7 29. Nxf7 Qxf7 30. Rd3 Qf6 31. Rxd8 Rxd8 32. Rd1 Rxd1+ 33. Qxd1 Qd6. A silent but loud draw offer. 34. Qxd6 Bxd6 35. Bc8 b5 36. axb5 cxb5 37. Bd7 b4 38. Kg2 Kf6 39. Kf3 Ke7 40. Ba4 Bc5 41. e3 Ke6 42. Ke4 Be7 43. b3 Bd8 44. Bb5 h6 45. Bc4+ Kf6 46. Kd5 g5 47. h5 Bc7 48. Kc6 Bd8 49. g4 ½ : ½.

After the draw with 王安妮 (Annie Wáng), 于润荷 (Jennifer Yú) (pictured above) still has the sole lead with 4½/5, half a point ahead of Anna Vitalievna Zatonskih, and one point ahead of Tatev Abrahamyan. Photo © Lennart Ootes/Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.