Something Special

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Rauf Mamedov
20th European Individual Chess Championship; Skopje, March 26, 2019
King’s Indian Defence E81

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 c5 7. Nge2 Nc6 8. d5 Na5. The alternative is 8. ... Ne5, against which Goryachkina scored a crushing victory not so long ago: 9. Ng3 h5 10. Be2 h4 11. Nf1 e6 12. Bg5 h3 13. Ne3 hxg2 14. Rg1 Qa5 15. Qd2 exd5 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nexd5 Bh4+ 18. Kd1 Qd8 19. f4 Ng4 20. Rxg2 Nf2+ 21. Kc2 Bh3 22. Rgg1 Re8 23. Bf3 Qc8 24. Rg3 Bxg3 25. hxg3 Ng4 26. Rh1 Nh6 27. Nf6+ Kf8 28. Qxd6+ Re7 29. Ncd5 Ng8 30. Nxg8 1 : 0 Goryachkina – Blohberger, 16th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2018. 9. b3 a6 10. Rc1 Bd7 11. Ng3 Rb8 12. Bd3! This is probably an improvement on 12. a3 b5 13. cxb5 axb5 14. b4 cxb4 15. axb4 Nc4 which seems to be fine for Black, Keymer – Nikolov, 26th ZMDI Open, Dresden 2017. 12. ... b5 13. 0-0 bxc4 14. bxc4 Qc7 15. Bd2 e6. Worth considering was 15. ... Rb2 16. Rc2 (or 16. Rb1 Rb4!?∞) 16. ... Rfb8 with a reasonable game. 16. Qe1 Rfe8. 16. ... Rb2 was still possible, after which White can continue with both 17. Rb1 and 17. Rf2 with an edge in either case. 17. Nce2 Nb7 18. Bc3 h5 19. Qd2. Here 19. dxe6 Bxe6 (19. ... fxe6? 20. e5!+−) 20. f4 was a tempting, perhaps stronger, option. 19. ... e5 20. Rb1 h4 21. Nh1 Nh5 22. Rb3 Kh7 23. Rfb1 Bh6 24. Qb2 Bc8 25. Rb6. White succeeded in getting a big advantage by simple means, and now she has somehow to turn it into a win — a thing still far from easy. 25. ... Be3+ 26. Kf1 Qe7 27. Bd2 Qg5. 27. ... Bxd2 28. Qxd2 Ra8 looks a more stubborn defence, but after 29. Nf2 (among others) White continues to be in the driver’s seat. 28. Bxe3 Qxe3 29. Nf2 h3

30. Qc1. Now the engines suggest 30. g4! (followed, in case of 30. ... Nf6, by 31. Ng1) — which could indeed be White’s best winning attempt. However, it’s hard to think that Goryachkina’s move may be wrong. 30. ... hxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Qxc1 32. Rxc1 Ra8 33. Bc2 Na5? With the approaching of the time control, Mamedov becomes anxious and helps his opponent decisively in fulfilling her wishes. The move in the text, indeed, loses a vital Pawn, leaving White with a powerful passed central Pawn and (nearly) a technical win. Therefore a better advice would be 33. ... Kg7 34. Nd3± — White stands obviously better, but no forced win is demonstrable. 34. Rxd6 Nxc4 35. Rc6 Ne3+ 36. Kg1 Bd7 37. Rxc5 Nxc2 38. R5xc2 Kg7 39. Nd3 Bb5 40. Nc5 Rec8 41. Ng3! 1 : 0.