Up and Down Stairs

Haik M. Martirosyan – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
20th European Individual Chess Championship; Skopje, March 27, 2019
Réti Opening A07

A particularly difficult opponent awaited Goryachkina today. World Youth Chess Champion Under-16 in 2016, Armenian Chess Champion in 2018, last month Martirosyan just shared first place with Kaido Külaots in the 17th Aeroflot Open, finishing second on tie-break. 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. d3 Nf6 5. Nbd2 Nbd7 6. h3 Bh5 7. 0-0 e5 8. e4 dxe4 9. dxe4 Be7 10. Qe1 0-0 11. Nc4 Qc7 12. Nh4 Rfe8 13. a4 Bf8 14. Bd2 Nc5 15. Bc3. Of course, there is another way, quite similar: 15. Ba5 b6 16. Bc3 Nfd7 17. f4 f6 18. fxe5 fxe5 19. Ne3 Ne6 20. Nef5 Rad8 21. Kh1 Nf6 22. Nh6+ gxh6 23. Rxf6 Nd4 24. Rf2 Bg6 25. Qe3 Qg7 26. Raf1 Be7 27. Nxg6 Qxg6 28. Be1 Rf8 29. b4 Rxf2 30. Rxf2 Rf8 31. c3 Rxf2 32. Bxf2 Ne6 33. h4 Nc7 34. Qd3 Qd6 35. Qc4+ Qe6 36. Qxe6+ Nxe6 37. Be3 Bf8 38. Bh3 Kf7 39. Bf1 Nc7 40. Bc4+ Kf6 41. Kg2 Ne8 42. Bg8 Kg7 43. Be6 Nf6 44. Kf3 Kg6 45. Bf5+ Kg7 46. Ke2 h5 47. Kd3 Kf7 48. a5 1 : 0 Nakamura – Pelletier, 6th Kortschnoi Zürich Chess Challenge (45+10), Zürich 2017. 15. ... Nfd7 16. f4!? Black gained the upper hand in Javakhadze – Sevian, 10th Philadelphia Open, Philadelphia 2016, after 16. Bf3? Bxf3 17. Nxf3 b5!⩱ — understandably, White changes direction and move. 16. ... exf4 17. gxf4 f6 18. b4. 18. e5 Nb6 doesn’t seem to lead anywhere. 18. ... Bf7 19. Nd2 Na6. 19. ... Ne6 20. e5 c5⩱ seems to offer more prospects for an advantage. Black’s move is not wrong in itself, but, as it will become clear very soon, it aims at the wrong target. 20. Rb1 Qb6+ 21. Kh1

21. ... Bxb4?? A grave miscalculation, which in fact costs Goryachkina the game immediately. Black ought to play 21. ... c5! 22. a5! Qd8 23. b5 Nb4 24. Qg3! Nxc2 25. e5 with White’s initiative compensating for the Pawn, but probably not more. 22. Bxb4 Nxb4 23. Qg3! Black cannot defend both wings. 23. ... Nf8 24. Nf5 Ng6 25. Nd6 Re7 26. e5 Ba2 27. Rb2 fxe5 28. fxe5 Bd5 29. c3 Bxg2+ 30. Qxg2 Qe3 31. cxb4 Qxe5 32. N2c4 Qe6 33. Rff2 Qe1+ 34. Kh2 Rd8 35. b5 Qe6 36. Rbe2 Qd7 37. bxc6 bxc6 38. Rxe7 Qxe7 39. Qxc6 Qe6 40. Qc7 Rf8 41. Qxa7 Rxf2+ 42. Qxf2 1 : 0.