Beyond the Soundtrack

Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Women’s Candidates Tournament; Kazan, May 31, 2019
Spanish Game C60

The Women’s Candidates Tournament started with three derbies and four draws, but probably nothing has happened by chance, since the pairings were drawn much before this time by FIDE President Arkady Vladimirovich Dvorkovich and the strongest female player of all time Judit Polgár. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. c3 a6 5. Bc4 Bg7 6. d4 exd4. Critical is 6. ... d6 7. Bg5 Qd7 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Qe2 Nf6 10. Na3 0-0 11. Nc2 Nh5 12. g3 Kh8 13. Nh4 Qe8 14. 0-0-0 f5 15. Ne3 b5 16. Bb3 Na5 17. Rd8 Nxb3+ 18. axb3 Qf7 19. Rxf8+ Bxf8 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Nexf5 Bxf5∞ Tal – Spraggett, Candidates Tournament, Montpellier 1985 — “The position is very complex and unclear”, Spraggett writes on his web site. “White should now proceed 22. Nxf5 Qxf5 23. Qxh5 but after 23. ... a5! it is still anybody’s game as White’s King is just as exposed as my own King”. 7. Bg5!? Now Kosteniuk varies from her previous 7. cxd4 b5 8. Bb3 Nge7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Nc3 d6 11. h3 Na5 12. Bc2 c5 with a typical Ruy López game and chances for both colours, Kosteniuk – Aronian, 4th World Blitz Chess Championship, Moscow 2009. 7. ... Nge7 8. Nxd4 h6 9. Nxc6 bxc6 10. Be3 d5 11. Bb3 Qd6 12. Nd2 0-0 13. 0-0 Be6 14. Qc1 f5 15. Rd1. Who knows, perhaps 15. exd5 cxd5 16. Re1 would have more effectively questioned the soundness of Black’s strategy. 15. ... g5 16. exd5 cxd5 17. Bd4 c5 18. Bxg7 Kxg7 19. Nc4 Qc7 20. Qe3 Bg8 21. Qe5+ Qxe5 22. Nxe5 Rfd8 23. Ba4 Rac8 24. Rd2 Rc7 25. Rad1 Kf6 26. Re1 Nc8 27. g3 Nb6 28. Bb3 Re7 29. f4 Rde8 30. Kf2 a5 31. Red1 a4 32. Bc2 Be6 33. Nd3 Rc7 34. Re2 Bd7 35. Rxe8 Bxe8 36. Re1 Bb5 37. Re5 Bd7 38. Bd1 Be6 39. Bf3 Nc4 40. Re1 Nd6. The time control was reached and Black has made some progress, though they might be not sufficient to win against the best defence. 41. Ke3 Nc4+ 42. Kf2 Nd6 43. Ke3

43. ... a3! Black pushes a bit harder. 44. b4? Of course, after 44. bxa3 Nb5 Black regains her Pawn with interest, but no certainty of victory. Instead the text move might have cost Kosteniuk very dearly. 44. ... cxb4 45. cxb4 d4+? A strange decision. The quite crude 45. ... Rc4! 46. Rc1 d4+ would have guaranteed much more chances for winning. 46. Kxd4 Nb5+ 47. Ke3 Bxa2 48. Ne5 Be6 49. Bc6 Nd6. 49. ... Na7 50. Ba4 a2 might have been more accurate, still implying some concrete threat such as ... Rc7-c3+ followed by ... Rc3-a3. 50. Kd4 a2 51. Ra1 Ra7 52. b5 Nc8 53. Kc5 Ra3 54. Bd5 Rc3+ 55. Kb4 Rc2 56. Bxe6 Kxe6 57. Nc4 Rxh2. If 57. ... Nd6 then 58. Nxd6 Kxd6 59. fxg5 hxg5 60. h4! with a draw coming pretty soon. 58. b6 Nxb6 59. Nxb6 Rg2 60. Nc4 Rxg3 61. fxg5 ½ : ½.

Kosteniuk and Goryachkina eventually drew their Russian derby. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.