Rush for the Gold

Marina Brunello – Nana Dzagnidze
20th European Individual Women’s Chess Championship; Antalya, April 15, 2019
Siciian Defence B90

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4 0-0 9. Bb3 Nc6 10. Bg5 Nd7!?TN 11. Be3! Psychologically strong. A draw is not the end of the world for Brunello. 11. ... Nf6 12. Bg5 Na5!? Dzagnidze obviously is not happy nor willing to draw by repetition, but... 13. Bxf6! Bxf6 14. Nd5 Nxb3 15. axb3. The consequence is a very standardised position in which White, thanks to her possession of the key d5-square, may claim a slight but lasting edge. Furthermore, the fact that Dzagnidze dislikes this kind of “strategic” games will certainly influence the outcome.

15. ... Be7 16. Nd2 f5? Dzagnidze already gets impatient to take over the initiative, but her nervous counter-attack — which implies a Pawn sacrifice on d6 — just won’t work. Black ought to play 16. ... b5 17. Nf1 g6 18. Nfe3⩲ f5!? which, if nothing else, results in a much better version of her own idea. 17. Nc4± fxe4? Consistently velleitary. 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Qxd6 Qg5 20. Qd5+ Kh8 21. 0-0 Bh3 22. Ne3 Rf4 23. Kh1 Bg4 24. Qxb7 Raf8 25. Qxa6. All Black’s Queenside Pawns disappeared, so now the win must be only a matter of time, provided, of course, not to fall into last-ditch mating tricks on the other flank. 25. ... h5 26. Nxg4 hxg4 27. Qe2 R8f6 28. g3 Rh6. Black sets a last trap (even knowing it won’t succeed): 29. gxf4?? Qxf4 30. f3 exf3 31. Qf2 g3! 32. Qxf3 Rxh2+ 33. Kg1 Qd4+ 34. Rf2 Qxf2+ 35. Qxf2 Rxf2 with a likely draw. 29. Ra6 Rxa6 30. Qxa6 Rf8 31. Qe2 e3 32. Kg2 Rf3 33. fxe3 Rxe3 34. Qc4 Qd8 35. Qxg4 e4. And now after 36. Rf7 it’s all over, but, as heartbeats ticked by, Brunello repeated moves to gain time on the clock: 36. Qh3+ Kg8 37. Qe6+ Kh7 38. Qh3+ Kg8 39. Qe6+ Kh7. And now, finally, the end: 40. Rf4 Re2+ 41. Kh3 1 : 0.