Playing Through the Tough Times

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Marina Evgenievna Guseva
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 15, 2019
Sicilian Defence B50

The top seed Goryachkina continues her erratic course, this time having to be content with a draw (as White) against Guseva. 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3. Goryachkina, apparently not in her best form, cannot even rely upon a dynamic opening repertoire, which makes her mission quite impossible. 3. ... Nf6 4. Be2 g6 5. 0-0 Bg7 6. Bb5+ Nc6. If 6. ... Bd7 then 7. Bxd7+ Qxd7 8. Re1 0-0 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 d5 11. e5 Ne4 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nc6 (13. ... e6 14. h4 Nc6 15. h5!↑ Goryachkina – Narva, ACP European Women’s Blitz Chess Championship, Monte Carlo 2017) 14. h4 Rac8 15. h5 Nd8 16. Bd2 Qg4 17. h6 Bh8 18. Qb3⩲ Goryachkina – Dordzhieva, 5th Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship, Saint Petersburg 2018. 7. d4 0-0 8. d5 Na5 9. Re1 e6 10. Bf1 Re8. Possibly better is 10. ... exd5 11. exd5 Bf5 12. Na3 b6 13. Bf4 a6 14. Rc1 Be4 15. Bg5 Re8 16. b4 Nb7 17. b5 axb5 18. Nxb5, provided Black does not continue with 18. ... h6? on account of 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20. Nd2 winning material, Anand – Gelfand, World Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, Groningen 1997, match game 2. 11. Na3!? Goryachkina’s own footnote to a well-known story. After 11. b4 exd5! 12. bxa5 dxe4 13. Cfd2 d5! Black has more than enough for the Knight, Biliškov – Palac, 20th Open, Zadar 2013, whilst 11. c4 exd5 12. exd5 Rxe1 13. Nxe1 Bf5 features lines quite similar to those of the actual game, Biliškov – Brkić, 21st Croatian Team Chess Championship, Šibenik 2012. 11. ... exd5 12. exd5 Rxe1 13. Nxe1 Bf5 14. Nac2 Rc8 15. Ne3 Bd7 16. c4 a6 17. Rb1 b5 18. cxb5 axb5 19. b4 cxb4. 19. ... Nb7! 20. Bb2 Ne4 seems more solid. 20. Rxb4 Qe8 21. Bb2 Ne4? Guseva could have paid dearly for such a mistake. 21. ... Nc4 22. Bxc4 bxc4 23. Rxc4 Nxd5 was playable enough for Black to somehow hold her own. 22. Bxg7 Kxg7 23. Qd4+ Nf6

24. Qb6? The obvious 24. g4 (Δ g4-g5) was the most natural and best, giving Black a very hard time; for instance: 24. ... h6 25. h4 g5!? (after 25. ... Qxe5 26. Qxe5 dxe5 27. Nf3 White wins at least a Pawn, with much the better game) 26. Rxb5!+− (26. ... Bxb5 27. Nf5+). 24. ... Nc4 25. Bxc4 bxc4 26. Qxd6 c3! 27. Qf4. White might have realised now that if 27. Rb7 Black would have replied with 27. ... Rd8! somehow getting sufficient counter-play for the Pawn. 27. ... Nxd5 28. Qd4+ Nf6 29. Rb6 Be6 30. g4 Qd8 31. Rd6 Qa5 32. Nd5 Bxd5 33. Qxf6+ Kg8 34. Qe5 c2 35. Nxc2 Qxa2 36. Qxd5 Qxd5 37. Rxd5 Rxc2 ½ : ½.

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina vs. Marina Evgenievna Guseva — Elina Danielian is watching with much interest. Photo: Kasia Selbes/Turkish Chess Federation.