Second Time Around

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Nana Dzagnidze
Women’s Candidates Tournament; Kazan, June 9, 2019
Queen’s Gambit Declined D58

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 0-0 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 b6. The so-called Tartakower Defence. 8. Be2 Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. b4 c6. Garry Kimovich Kasparov invariably played 11. ... c5 in a number of games of his World Chess Championship matches against Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov. 12. 0-0 Qd6. 12. ... a5 13. a3 Qd6 14. Qb3 axb4 15. axb4 Nd7 is also playable, with near equality, Estévez Morales – Karpov, Interzonal Tournament, Leningrad 1973. 13. Qb3 Nd7 14. Rfe1 Rfe8. If 14. ... Be7 then 15. Rab1 a5 16. bxa5 Rxa5 17. a4⩲ Karpov – Ki. Georgiev, 18th Interpolis Chess Tournament, Tilburg 1994. 15. Rad1. 15. Bf1 Be7 16. Rab1 a5 17. bxa5 Rxa5 18. a4⩲ it would be something similar to the aforementioned reference, Karpov – Bönsch, Baden-Baden 1992. 15. ... Be7 16. b5 c5!TN 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Qb1 Bf8? One may guess that Black’s problems begin here. 18. ... Rac8(!) seems best, with approximate equality.

19. Bc4! dxc4?! Rather than losing the d5-Pawn without any obvious compensation, Dzagnidze embarks herself in a positional sacrifice of the Queen for Bishop and Rook, that, however, won’t give her the “dynamic return” she needed. 20. Rxd6 Bxd6 21. Rd1 Ne4 22. Qc1 Red8 23. Rd4 Nxc3 24. Qxc3 Bc5 25. Rg4? Simpler and stronger was 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Nd4 with a manifest advantage. 25. ... Rd1+ 26. Ne1 g6 27. Kf1 Rad8 28. Ke2 Rb1 29. Qc2 Rxb5?? A grave mistake that loses immediately. 29. ... Rb4! 30. Rxc4 (30. Nf3 c3!=) 30. ... Rxb5 was perfectly playable and quite tenable. 30. Rxg6+!+− fxg6 31. Qxc4+ Bd5 32. Qxb5 Bxa2 33. Nd3 Bf8 34. Ne5 Rd5 35. Qe8 Rxe5 36. Qxe5 Bc4+ 37. Kd2 b5 38. Qe8 g5 39. e4 a5 40. e5 Kg7 41. Qd7+ Kg6 42. Qc6+ Kf7 43. Qf6+ Ke8 44. e6 Be7 45. Qf7+ Kd8 46. Qg8+ Kc7 47. Qe8 Bb4+ 48. Kc2 Kd6 49. Qd7+ 1 : 0.

If nothing else, after throwing away her last few games due to serious tactical oversights, 16th Women’s World Chess Champion 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) did not miss her “lucky” date with Dzagnidze today. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.