The Sound of Silence

Nana Dzagnidze – Valentina Evgenyevna Gunina
Women’s Candidates Tournament; Kazan, June 4, 2019
French Defence C01

The organisers stopped the music and bargained for a quieter and secluded room, but the quality of play suddenly declined to lower levels. The only one who took advantage of the normalisation regime was Dzagnidze, who easily demolished Gunina’s very uninspired French Defence, Georgian Grandmaster being now in the lead by half a point over Goryachkina. 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5. Dzagnidze hides herself behind the “drawish” French Exchange Variation. Gunina should be content with half a point, but no, she wants more. 3. ... exd5 4. Nf3 Bd6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 0-0 7. cxd5 Bb4?! It’s very hard to understand such a waste of time. 7. ... Nbd7 8. Be2 Nb6 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. Qb3 Bf5 12. 0-0 a5 seems a more “economic” way of playing for equality, Pachow – Uhlmann, 28th East Germany Chess Championship, Suhl 1979. 8. Bg5 Nbd7 9. Be2 h6 10. Bh4 Nb6 11. 0-0 Bxc3? Black cedes the Bishop pair for nothing. Here 11. ... Be7! was obviously better, with a tenable game. 12. bxc3 Nbxd5 13. Rc1 c6 14. Ne5 g5?! This Kingside demonstration sounds quite bad, indeed, offering new targets of opportunity for White. On the other hand, 14. ... Bf5 15. Bc4 was not too pleasant either. 15. Bg3 Ne4 16. Bc4 Kg7 17. Re1 Nxg3. If 17. ... Ndxc3 (idem to say 17. ... Nexc3) then 18. Rxc3! Nxc3 19. Qh5 with overwhelming attack. 18. hxg3 Be6 19. Bb3 Qf6?! Black can do little or nothing to avoid the unavoidable, but certainly the Queen stands badly here. 20. c4 Ne7

21. Rc3. The threat of Rc3-f3 forces Black to further painful concessions. 21. ... h5 22. Rf3 Qh6. Now the end comes quickly: 23. d5 cxd5 24. cxd5 Rad8 25. Qa1 f6 26. Nd3 g4 27. Rfe3 h4 28. Rxe6 Ng6 29. Qc1 Qh8 30. Nf4 1 : 0.

Playing for a draw (but only in the opening!) was Dzagnidze’s secret to beat Gunina today. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.