Factfulness

Darya Vyacheslavovna Charochkina – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
69th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Izhevsk, August 21, 2019
8/r7/Pk6/R7/2K5/8/2P5/8 w - - 11 72

Position after 71. ... Kc6-b6

It is only by much luck that today Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina saved a totally lost endgame against a lower-rated opponent in the 69th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal, thus making everyone think she’s just a bit too projected to her next-to-top Women’s World Chess Championship match with 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). In the position of the diagram, White is on the verge of a resounding win, and things would seem easy enough for her: 72. Kb4 Kc7 73. Kb5? Both 73. c4 and 73. Rc5+! Kb6 74. Rb5+! would have won quite neatly, but apparently Charochkina’s inexperience played its big part in her melodramatic downfall — now there is only one saving move, which, of course, Goryachkina doesn’t fail to spot: 73. ... Kb8!= 74. Kb6. White suddenly realises that she can no longer win, for if 74. c4 there may follow 74. ... Rh7 75. a7+ Ka8 76. c5 Rb7+ 77. Kc6 Rc7+! with a similar draw as in the game. 74. ... Rb7+! 75. Kc5. It just takes Charochkina two more moves before surrendering to the inevitable (75. axb7 stalemate). 75. ... Rc7+ 76. Kb6 Rb7+! 77. axb7 stalemate.