Thursday Next

Nana Dzagnidze – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Women’s Candidates Tournament; Kazan, June 6, 2019
English Opening A11

Goryachkina eventually increased her lead to 1½ points after winning a quasi-lost game to Dzagnidze. 1. Nf3 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. b3 Bf5 5. Be2 h6 6. Ba3!? Nbd7 7. 0-0 e6 8. Bxf8 Nxf8 9. Nc3 N8d7. 9. ... a6 may transpose into 10. d4 N8d7 11. Qc1 0-0 12. Qa3 Qb8 13. Rfc1 Re8 14. Qb4 Bg4 15. h3 Bh5 16. Rc2 ½ : ½ Radjabov – Vallejo Pons, 18th European Team Chess Championship, Porto Carras 2011. 10. d4 0-0 11. b4!? White finally goes on her own way. Another continuation was 11. Rc1 Qe7 12. Qd2 Ne4 13. Qb2 Rfc8 14. Nxe4 Bxe4 15. Nd2 Bg6 16. b4 a5 17. bxa5 Rxa5 18. cxd5 exd5 19. Bg4! Rb5? (19. ... Rc7 seems okay for Black) 20. Qxb5! with powerful compensation, Fries Nielsen – Seirawan, 17th World Junior Chess Championship, Graz 1978. 11. ... Qe7 12. Qb3 Bg4 13. Rfd1 Ne4 14. Rac1 Ndf6 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 Nd6 17. c5 Nf5 18. b5 e5 19. bxc6 bxc6 20. Rb1 e4? From a strategic standpoint it is a very doubtful move since Black’s Kingside movement isn’t worth her Queenside weakness. Correct seems 20. ... exd4 21. exd4 Rfe8 with quite a playable game. 21. Be2 Rac8 22. Rd2 Rc7 23. Rdb2 Nh4 24. g3 Nf3+ 25. Kg2 Qd7 26. Qd1 Ng5 27. h4 Ne6 28. Rb8 g5 29. hxg5 hxg5 30. Qh1 Rxb8 31. Rxb8+ Rc8 32. Qb1 Qd8 33. Rb7 Ra8? After all, Black managed somehow to hold everything together, and now she should have probably contented herself with 33. ... Rc7, eventually offering to repeat moves (34. Rb8 Rc8). 34. Qh1 Qc8 35. Rb1 Rb8 36. Qh6 Rxb1 37. Nxb1 Nh7 38. Nd2 Qb7. As the time control approaches, Goryachkina finds her defence very distressing and most difficult. If 38. ... Qf8 there could follow 39. Qh3 f5 40. Ba6! keeping Black terribly tied up. 39. Bg4 Ng7 40. Qd6 f5? The last move of time control is often a mistake! Black had hardly anything better than 40. ... Nf8 41. Qe5 Nge6 42. Qf6 with the prospect of suffering just a little bit longer. 41. Bd1+− Qb5 42. a4. After 42. Bb3 Nf8 43. g4! Black could well have resigned. 42. ... Qa6 43. Bb3 Qc8 44. a5 Ne8 45. Qg6+ Kh8 46. g4 Ng7 47. Ba4 f4

48. Kh3? Dzagnidze wants everything without giving anything. Consistent and strong was 48. Qxc6+− (48. ... Qxg4+ 49. Kf1+−). 48. ... Ne6∞ 49. Nxe4!? 49. Qf7 Nhf8 is likewise quite unclear. 49. ... fxe3 50. fxe3 dxe4 51. Qxe4 Nf6 52. Qe5. If 52. Qxc6 then 52. ... Nf4+! 53. exf4 Qxg4+ with at least equality. 52. ... Kg7 53. Bd1? Like yesterday, Dzagnidze proves not to be able to handle tactics in time pressure, and (quite dramatically) she ends up losing the game. The text is aimed at defending g4, but now other problems arise. Probably best was 53. Bb3 Qa6 54. Bxe6 (idem to say 54. Qxe6) 54. ... Qf1+ with draw by perpetual check. 53. ... Qa6!→ 54. Bf3 Qf1+ 55. Bg2 Qf2. The tables have dramatically turned and Goryachkina finishes in beautiful style. 56. Bxc6 Qh4+ 57. Kg2 Qxg4+ 58. Kf2 Kf7 59. Bf3. No better is 59. Bd5 Qh3! followed by the advance of the g-Pawn. 59. ... Qh4+ 60. Ke2 Qh4+ 60. Ke2 g4 61. Bb7 g3 62. Bg2 Qg4+ 63. Kd2 Ng5 64. c6 Nge4+ 65. Bxe4 Nxe4+ 66. Kd3 Nf6 67. c7 g2 68. d5 g1=Q 69. Qe6+ Qxe6 70. dxe6+ Kg7 71. Kd4 0 : 1.

In the end Goryachkina has brilliantly survived her worst Thursday of June. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili.