Nine Days

Jan Krejčí – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)

1st Prague International Chess Festival; Challengers Tournament; Prague, March 14, 2019

Queen’s Gambit Declined D38

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 0-0 8. Rc1 dxc4 9. Bxc4 c5 10. 0-0 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Qe7. Very interesting is 11. ... Bd7 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Qh5 Nc6 14. Nb3 Be8 15. a3 f5 16. Qe2 Bxa3 17. bxa3 fxe4 18. Nc5 Ne5 19. Ba2 Nf3+ 20. Kh1 Qh4∞ with a double-edged game, So – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), 77th Tata Steel Chess Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2015. 12. Qb3. If 12. Be2 there might follow 12. ... Nd7 13. a3 Ba5 14. b4 Bb6 15. Na4 Rd8 16. Nxb6 Nxb6 17. Qc2 e5 18. Nb3 Be6 19. Nc5 Rac8 20. Qb2 Bd5 21. e4 Bc6 22. Bg4 Rb8 23. Rfd1 Na4= 马中涵 (Mǎ Zhōnghán) – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 13rd “映美杯” (“Yìng Měi Cup”) Chinese Chess League, 北京 (Beijīng) 2017. 12. ... Ba5 13. Rfd1 Rd8!? A novelty and probably also an improvement on 13. ... a6 14. Be2 b5 15. Bf3 Ra7 16. a3 Bb7 17. Bxb7 Rxb7 18. Ne4 Rd8 with approximate equality, Bobrowska-Soćko – Khotenashvili, 2nd SportAccord World Mind Games, Women’s Blindfold Tournament, 北京 (Beijīng) 2012 — as it is likely that White could have done better. 14. Be2 Nd7 15. Ne4 Ne5? An obvious mistake which costs Black both in material and in position, condemning her to a long afternoon of anguish. Of course, 15. ... Nf8 16. a3⩲ was what 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) should have done, leaving White only a slight edge. 16. Rc5. Now White wins a Pawn by force. 17. ... Bc7 17. Qc2 Nc6 18. Nxc6 bxc6 19. Rxc6 Bb6 20. Rxd8+ Qxd8 21. Bf3 Bb7 22. Rc3 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Rb8 24. g3 Qf6 25. b4 g6 26. a4 Kg7 27. Kg2 h5 28. h4 Bd8 29. Rc4 Qe5 30. Rd4 Bb6 31. Rc4 Bd8 32. Bf3 a6 33. Bc6 Be7 34. b5 axb5 35. axb5 Bd8 36. Re4 Qd6 37. Rd4 Qe5 38. Rd7 Bb6 39. Qd2 Kg8 40. Qd3 Qf6 41. Qe4 Kg7 42. Qb4 Qe5 43. Qa3 Bc5 44. Qd3 Bb6 45. Be4 Qf6 46. Qc2 Ba5 47. Bc6? Luckily for 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), White puts his Bishop in the best place to allow her to exchange Rooks! 47. Bd3± was obviously better.

47. ... Rd8! 48. Rxd8. White cannot avoid the exchange of Rooks, for otherwise ... Rd8-d2 would follow. 48. ... Qxd8 49. Qe4 Bb6 50. Qe5+ Qf6 51. Qb8 Qd8 52. Qxd8. In fact, White agrees to split the point, the opposite-coloured Bishops ending being objectively drawn. 52. ... Bxd8 53. Kf3 Kf6 54. Ke4 Bb6 55. f3 Ke7 56. Kd3 f5 57. Ke2 Bc7 58. Kf2 Bb6 59. Bb7 Bc5 60. Bc8 Bb6 61. Ke2 Bc7 62. f4 Bb6 63. Kd3 Bc5 64. Bb7 Bb6 65. Bf3 Bc5 66. Bd1 Bb6 67. Bb3 Bc5 68. Ke2 ½ : ½.

Jan Krejčí vs. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo: Vladimír Jagr.