Little Things Matter

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

1st Prague International Chess Festival; Challengers Tournament; Prague, March 10, 2019

Russian Defence C42

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) insists on the Russian Defence. 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 0-0 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. 0-0-0 c6. The alternative is 9. ... Nf6 10. Bd3 c5 11. Rhe1 Be6 12. Kb1 Qa5 13. c4 Qxd2 14. Bxd2 h6 15. h3 d5 16. Ne5 Rfd8 17. cxd5 Bxd5 18. g4 Kf8 19. g5 hxg5 20. Bxg5 Rd6 21. Re2 Be6 22. Rde1 Nd5 23. h4 Bxg5 24. hxg5 Nf4 25. Re4 Nxd3 26. Nxd3 Rad8 27. Kc1 b6 28. Rh4 g6 29. Reh1 Ke7 30. Re1 Kf8 31. Reh1 Ke7 32. Re1 Kf8 ½ : ½ Praggnanandhaa – Vocaturo, 44th Sunway Open, Sitges 2018. 10. Kb1. Sharper may be 10. h4 Re8 11. c4!? a6!? 12. h5 h6 13. Bd3 Nf6 14. Bd4 b5 15. Rde1 Be6 16. Nh4? (16. g4! bxc4 17. g5! cxd3 18. gxh6!∞) 16. ... bxc4 17. Bf5 Nd5! 18. Bxe6 Bg5−+ Tokhirjonova – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), Women’s World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, Khanty-Mansiysk 2018, match game 2. 10. ... Re8 11. Bd3 d5 12. h4 Bc5 13. Bf4!? A novelty of the young Indian Grandmaster. If 13. Bd4 Black replies with 13. ... Bxd4 14. cxd4 Nf6 15. Rde1 Ne4 16. Qf4 Qf6 defending well enough, Karjakin – Giri, 4th Grand Chess Tour, Rapid YourNextMove, Leuven 2018. Likewise 13. Rde1 proved not enough to bring any advantage: 13. ... Bxe3 14. Rxe3 Rxe3 15. Qxe3 Nf6 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Qe8+ Qf8 18. Qxf8+ Kxf8 19. Kc1 Bd7 20. c4 dxc4 21. Bxc4 Re8 22. Rxe8+ Bxe8 23. Kd2 Ke7 24. Ne5 Nd7 25. Nf3 Nf6 26. Ne5 Nd7 27. Nf3 Nf6 28. Ne5 ½ : ½ Aronian – Caruana, 43rd Chess Olympiad, Batumi 2018. 13. ... Nf6 14. Rde1 Ne4!? A Pawn sacrifice which basically has only defensive function, and so not easy to understand. 14. ... Rxe1+ 15. Rxe1 Bd7 was much consistent with Black’s “philosophy” of opening and near enough to equality.

15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Rxe4! Be6 17. Qxd8 Raxd8 18. Be3 Bf8. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s only hope is that White’s doubled Pawns on the c-file and Black’s Bishop pair can prove a sufficient compensation for the Pawn. 19. b3 c5 20. Bf4 f6 21. Rhe1 Kf7 22. c4 Bd7 23. Rxe8 Bxe8 24. Kc1 Bc6 25. Re3 h5 26. Ne1 Kg6 27. Bc7 Rc8 28. Bg3 Kf5 29. f3 g6. Maybe 29. ... g5 at once, in order to force 30. hxg5 fxg5 31. Re5+ Kf6 32. Re2 Re8 offered better defensive chances. 30. Kd1 b6. This is very questionable, because it gives meaning and scope to Bg3-b8 after an exchange of Rooks. 31. Nd3 Rd8 32. Ke2 g5 33. Kf2 Be8 34. hxg5 fxg5 35. Re5+ Kf6 36. Rd5 Be7 37. f4 Ke6? This loses a second Pawn, with consequences easy to guess. 37. ... Rxd5 38. cxd5 Kf5 was her comparatively best worst; for instance: 39. fxg5 Bxg5 40. Bb8 a6 41. Bc7 Ke4 42. Bxb6 Be3+ 43. Ke2 c4 44. Bd8 cxd3+ 45. cxd3+ Kxd5 46. Kxe3 with Black seeking an unlikely salvation in an opposite-coloured Bishops ending two Pawns down. 38. Re5+ Kd7 39. fxg5 Bg6 40. Rd5+ Kc8 41. Rxd8+ Bxd8 42. Bf4 h4 43. Kf3 Bf5 44. g3 hxg3 45. Kxg3 Kd7 46. Kh4 Ke8 47. Kh5 Kf8 48. Kh6 Kg8 49. Bd6 Kf7 50. Nf4 Bxc2 51. g6+ Kg8 52. Nd5 Be4 53. Bf4 Bxd5. Desperation, but 53. ... b5 54. Nc3 loses as well. 54. cxd5 Bf6 55. d6 Kf8 56. d7 Ke7 57. Bg5 1 : 0.

Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa vs. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo: Vladimir Jagr.