The Little Things

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí)
Women’s Candidates Tournament; Kazan, June 5, 2019
Catalan Opening E04

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 dxc4 5. Nf3 c5 6. 0-0 Nc6 7. dxc5 Qxd1 8. Rxd1 Bxc5 9. Nbd2 c3 10. bxc3 0-0 11. Nb3 Be7 12. Nfd4 Nxd4 13. cxd4 Nd5 14. Na5 Bb4 15. Nc4. The alternative is 15. Bd2 Nc3 16. Nxb7 Nxe2+ 17. Kf1 Nc3 18. Bxc3 Bxc3 19. Rac1 Bxb7 20. Bxb7 Rab8 21. Rxc3 Rxb7 22. d5 exd5 23. Rxd5 Re8 24. Ra5 g6 25. Rca3 Ree7 26. g4 Kg7 27. Kg2 h6 28. h4 Rbc7 29. Kg3 Rb7 30. h5 g5 31. Re3 Red7 ½ : ½ Rapport – 余泱漪 (Yú Yāngyī), 3rd 深圳龙岗 (Shēnzhèn Lónggǎng) Masters “读特杯” (“Dú Tè Cup”), 深圳 (Shēnzhèn) 2019. 15. ... Bd7 16. Rb1 Ba4 17. Rf1 Bc3 18. Bxd5 exd5 19. Ne3 Bxd4 20. Nxd5 b5 21. Bb2 Bxb2 22. Rxb2 Rfd8 23. Nc3 Rac8 24. Nxb5 Bxb5 25. Rxb5 Rd2 26. Rfb1 Rxa2 27. Rc5 Rd8 28. Kf1 Ra6. Now 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) produces a series of disconcerting Rook moves which will soon bring her into difficulties. Black should play something like 28. ... Re8, after which might follow 29. e4 h5 30. Rb7 Rxe4 31. Rcc7 h4 32. Rxf7 Rg4 33. Rxa7 hxg3! 34. hxg3 (34. Rxa2?? gxh2−+) 34. ... Rxa7 35. Rxa7 Rb4 with a drawn ending. 29. Rb7 Rh6 30. Rcc7 Rf8. 30. ... Rxh2 31. Kg1 Rh6 32. Rxf7 Rg6 33. Rxa7 may well lead to similar outcomes. 31. h4 a6 32. f3 Rf6 33. g4 h5 34. g5 Rf4

35. Kg2 Rd4. Not 35. ... Rxh4? on account of 36. e4! kicking the Black Rook out of the play. 36. g6! Rf4 37. Ra7 Rf6 38. gxf7+ R8xf7 39. Rxf7 Rxf7 40. Rxa6. The most White’s got is an endgame of Rook and three Pawns vs. Rook and two Pawns, with all Pawns on the same side. It might be not winnable (against best defence), but it is certainly very hard to draw. “When White has a KP, his prospects are brighter”, Reuben Fine wrote in his “Basic Chess Endings”, David McKay Company, Philadelphia, 1941, p. 373, “but except for certain positions the game is a draw. The chief of these won cases is No. 391 (Capablanca – Yates, Hastings 1930–31)”. 40. ... Kh7 41. Ra4 Kg6 42. Kf2 Rc7 43. Ra6+ Kf7 44. Ra5 g6 45. Kg3 Rc1 46. Kf4 Kg7 47. e4 Rf1 48. Ra7+ Kf6?? A “natural” blunder which loses by force. 48. ... Kf8 was still a tough story to tell. 49. e5+! Ke6 50. Ra6+ Kf7 51. Kg5! Rg1+. 51. ... Rxf3 52. Rf6+!+− was the pretty pointe. 52. Kh6 Rh1 53. Rxg6 Rxh4 54. Rf6+ Ke7 55. Kg5 Rh1 56. Rh6 Rg1+ 57. Kf5 Rh1 58. Rh7+ Kf8 59. e6 Kg8 60. Ra7 h4 61. Ra8+ Kg7 62. e7 1 : 0.

Goryachkina took the lead thanks to her win against 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí), who spoiled a totally drawish ending with poor technique. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.