Behind the Lines

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Olga Sergeyevna Badelka
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 21, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Declined D39

A lot of people can still win the European women’s title, but the top seed Goryachkina is not one of them — objectively speaking, she never appeared too interested in it. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 Qa5 10. Bb5+ Nbd7 11. Bxf6 Qxc3+ 12. Kf1 gxf6 13. h4 a6 14. Rh3 Qb4 15. Be2 Ne5 16. Rb1 Qd6 17. Rc3 Bd7!? This is a novelty — but a concept of questionable meaningfulness — as Black returns the Pawn without any prospect of additions. More critical is 17. ... 0-0 18. h5 Rd8∞ 19. Qb3 Bd7 20. Rd1 Qf8 21. Rc7! Qh6! 22. Rxb7 Qf4? (22. ... Bb5! 23. Nxb5 axb5 24. Rxb5 Rxd1+ 25. Qxd1 Rxa2 should be enough for a draw) 23. g3! Qxe4 24. f3 Qd5 25. Qxd5 exd5 26. h6± Giri – Harikrishna, 2nd 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) Masters “读特杯” (“Dú Tè Cup”), 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) 2017. 18. Rxb7 Rd8 19. Rb2 (19. h5!? h6 20. Ke1!?±) 19. ... 0-0 20. Rd2 Bb5 21. Bxb5 axb5 22. Nb3 Qb6 23. Qc1 h5 24. Rg3+ Ng6 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Qh6 Qc7

A pyrotechnic draw concludes the story: 27. Rxg6+ fxg6 28. Qxg6+ Qg7 29. Qxh5 Qd7 30. Qg6+ Qg7 31. Qh5 Qd7 32. Qg6+ ½ : ½.