Random Certainty

It may be redundant — but not meaningless — to repeat that the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” is not only and merely a chess960 club, but the best place in the city of Florence to do things like dance and rehearse a choreography. So please be on time at four o’clock Saturday afternoon, taking care not to forget to bring with you a pair of clean sneakers to be used in the dance room only!

BrendanRizzo, “The Chess Fairy”, title page. Illustration courtesy of BrendanRizzo/DeviantArt.

Wow, Edna, it will certainly be a fabulous triumph of charm! You only must not commit the mistake to start talking about what they want you to talk about

Artwork © HavenLadroma (@deavormode)

One Country, Two Systems, Three Languages

The Candidates Tournament for the World Chess Championship 2020 will take place at Hotel Hyatt Regency in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Ural Federal District, Russia from March 15, 2020 to April 5, 2020. The “Magnificent Eight” are, in alphabetical order: Kirill Alexeyevich Alekseenko, Fabiano Caruana, 丁立人 (Dīng Lìrén), Anish Giri, Alexander Igorevich Grischuk, Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi, Teimour Boris oghlu Radjabov, and 王皓 (Wáng Hào). The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the new offices of “SIMA-LAND”, the online multibrand wholesale shopping centre which recently made headlines for sponsoring Vice Women’s World Chess Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina. “SIMA-LAND”’s founder, chairman and chief executive officer Andrey Moiseyevich Simanovsky, as inspirer and sponsor of the hosting of the Candidates Tournament, not unsurprisingly, has already hired Grandmasters Sergey Yuryevich Shipov to comment live on the games for the Russian-speaking public, while he is still negotiating with Judit Polgár and four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) to offer the same service for English-speaking as well as Chinese-speaking audiences.

Yes, Edna, it’s a strange time we’re living in, but there’s nothing wrong with you

Artwork © Oh...I imagine (@ohiimagine)

The Second Time Around

谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) – Maxime Lagarde
18th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay, January 30, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D24

For the second consecutive year, 16th Women’s World Chess Champion 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) won and took home the women’s top prize at the 18th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival. 1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 b5 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nxb5 Nb6 8. Be2 Bb7 9. 0-0 Nc6 10. Be3 Qd7 11. Qc1!?TN (11. Nc3 Be7 12. Qc1 0-0 13. Rd1 Nb4 14. Nd2 Ba6 15. Nce4 Nd3 16. Qb1 Rab8 17. b3 Qc6 18. Nxc4 Nxc4 19. Bxd3 Na3 20. Qc1 Qb7 21. Bxa6 Qxa6 22. Bg5 Bxg5 23. Qxg5 h6 24. Qg4 Rfd8 25. Nc5 Qc6 26. Rac1 Rd5 27. Ne4 Qb6 28. Nf6+ Kh8 29. Nxd5 exd5 30. Qd7 Nb5 31. Qxd5 a5 32. a4 Na7 33. Qxf7 Nc6 34. Qd7 1 : 0 Palac – Piesik, 2nd Open Chess Tournament, Innsbruck 2018) 11. ... Na5 12. Nc3 Qc6 13. Bd2 Bb4 14. Nb1 Nd5 15. Bxb4 Nxb4 16. Nbd2 Nd3 17. Qc3 Nf4 18. Rfe1 Nxe2+ 19. Rxe2 Qb6 20. Ne4 Bd5 21. Nfg5 h6 (21. ... 0-0?? 22. Nf6+!+−) 21. ... h6 22. Nh3 Bxe4 23. Rxe4 0-0-0! 24. Nf4 Rd7 25. b4 Nc6 (25. ... cxb3 26. d5!→) 26. Qxc4 Rxd4 27. Rxd4 Qxd4 28. Qa6+ Kb8 29. Rc1 Nxb4 30. Qe2? Objectively speaking, White should have contented herself with 30. Qb5+ settling for a draw, but her closest rival for the prize, 雷挺婕 (Léi Tǐngjié), had just brilliantly won her game against Azerbaijani Grandmaster Vasif Durarbayli, so 谭中怡 (Tán Zhōngyí) pushes harder in an all out bid to win Caïssa’s favours.

30. ... Rd8! A powerful move which White might have overlooked. 30. ... Qxf4?? was refuted by 31. Rc4+− — but now Black actually threatens 31. ... Qxf4 32. Rc4 Qxc4! winning instantly. 31. g3 g5 32. Ng2 Rd5? (32. ... Kc8∓) 33. Ne3 Rxe5? Black will soon regret for not taking her own King off the b-file. Correct was 33. ... Rc5! 34. Rb1 Kc8∞ with complex play. 34. Rd1? There’s a lot happening, and it’s happening too fast. White apparently missed 34. a3! Qd3? (34. ... Nd5 35. Qb5+ gives White an irresistible attack) 35. Qb2+− winning at least a piece. 34. ... Qe4?? A final blunder that loses material. After 34. ... Qc3 35. Qf3 Qc6 36. Qxf7 a5 the game was still dynamically roughly balanced. 35. Qb2+− a5? 36. Rd4! 1 : 0.

Of course, it’s not always true what they say — the second time is easier. Photo © John Saunders.

Behind the Beyond

A woman wearing a mask checks her mobile phone in 上海 (Shànghǎi), China. Photo: 阿里宋 (Ālǐ Sòng)/Reuters.

Don’t worry, Edna. They will certainly understand that Calamity Jane might not be your ideal role model

Artwork © Raven-Misa

Opening credits

Once the curtain was down, three-time Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) solemnly thanked her fellow city Grandmaster 倪华 (Ní Huá) for all his backstage help: “Finally, I want to thank one person in particular: my coach 倪华 (Ní Huá). He devoted lots of time before the Women’s World Chess Championship match to preparing me both theoretically and physically. Without him I could not have succeeded in defending my title. One thing touched me most: his grandma died just after we moved to Vladivostok, but he didn’t tell me anything about it until the end of the match”. Photo: NetEase Sports.

Lonely But Not Alone

Coronavirus fears turned 武汉 (Wǔhàn), the capital of 湖北省 (Húběi province), China into a ghost city. Photo: Instagram/Emilia via Reuters.

Hey, Edna, I have the feeling that you’ll become the first cartoon to ever win an Academy Award for Best Woman Fashion Designer

Artwork © MoonyMina

Just enough to make a show successful

“Even now, it’s still hard for me to believe that the match is lost. There’s nothing good about it, but life goes on. There ain’t no sense in splitting hairs over the scores of classical games and tie-breaker. In the end, there’s only one winner — facts are facts, let’s not fool ourselves”, Vice Women’s World Chess Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina said on the air of the Матч ТВ (Match TV) talk show “Все на Матч!” (“Everyone to the Match!”) on Tuesday. Asked by Elmira Nazimovna Mirzoeva whether or not she could do something more or better, Goryachkina answered: “Unfortunately, or fortunately, I just feel I did everything I could do. Alas, that was not enough. If I think back to three weeks ago, I feel I gave my best, but it was pitifully not enough”.

Oh, Edna, it’s very commendable that you’re helping her to understand where her inspiration came from

Ice Skating

Vice Women’s World Chess Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina apparently told Alexey Mosko of Russia Beyond that her inspirational role model is Russian figure skater Alina Ilnazovna Zagitova: “She is a young athlete who has been able to win all honours in a highly competitive sport such as figure skating, and nevertheless she is also a versatile performer who skillfully alternates between official and non-official ceremonies, gorgeous parties, stages, and TV screens... Not everyone can do that — her example is very important to me”.

No doubt, Edna, she’s a good enough dancer, but surely you, too, are gifted more than you know

Artwork © Cherelle (@cherelle1518)

An Ode

Of course, Edna, I too think it’s fair to warn him that no man has ever been able to pass your scrutiny

Artwork © jadeflower

Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes an entrance during a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. Photo: John Locher/AP.

Wow, Edna, you’re so global that you have a different suitor in all four continents

Artwork © Has (@has_hh_)

Жизнь Пи (Life of Pi)

On Tuesday, January 28, 2020 at 15,00 Vice Women’s World Chess Champion Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina (pictured above) will be the guest of honour on the Матч ТВ (Match TV) talk show “Все на Матч!” (“Everyone to the Match!”) to be interviewed about her life story by Elmira Nazimovna Mirzoeva. Photo: Ivan Kurinnoy/Russian Chess Federation.

Sunday Matters

Vladislav Mikhailovich Artemiev – Fabiano Caruana
82nd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 26, 2020
English Opening A13

In spite of having already won first prize yesterday, Caruana gave the best of himself also in his last round game against Artemiev. 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 Nd7 3. c4 dxc4 4. Qa4 a6 5. Qxc4 b5 6. Qc2 Bb7 7. Bg2 Ngf6 8. 0-0 e6 9. d3 Be7 10. a4 c5 11. Nc3 Qb6 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8+ Bxa8 14. Bg5 0-0 15. Ra1 h6 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd2!?TN (17. Qb3 c4 18. dxc4 bxc4 19. Qxb6 Nxb6 20. Nd2 Rd8 21. Nxc4 Nxc4 22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Bxa8 Nxb2 ½ : ½ Matsenko – Nyzhnyk, College Final Four 2017, New York 2017) 17. ... Bxg2 18. Kxg2 Rc8 19. Qb3 Rb8 20. Nce4 Be7 21. Kg1 f5 22. Nc3 Ne5 23. h3 h5 24. Nf3 Nxf3+ 25. exf3 Bf6 26. Re1 Kf7 27. Ne2 g5 28. g4 hxg4 29. hxg4 fxg4 30. fxg4 Qd6 31. Ng3 Qd5 32. Qc2 Bd4 33. Qe2 Rh8 34. Ne4 Qe5 35. Qf3+ Kg7 36. b3? Instead of this move, Artemiev should have forced the exchange of Queens with 36. Qg3, as after 36. ... Qxg3+ 37. Nxg3 Rf8 38. Ne4 Rf4 39. Kg2 Rxg4+ 40. Kh3 Rh4+ 41. Kg3 White regains his Pawn with a very drawish ending. 36. ... Rf8! 37. Qe2 Qd5 38. Rf1 Kg6. Obviously 38. ... Qxb3? 39. Nxc5!= leads nowhere. 39. Qd1 c4! 40. bxc4 bxc4 41. Kg2 Ba7. Caruana prefers to cash in the Pawn rather than invest on his dynamic advantage with 41. ... Rf4! 42. f3 c3∓ (which is what the engines give priority). 42. f3 cxd3 43. Qa1 Be3

44. Rd1? Maybe due to Caruana’s 41th move, White could now discourage Black from making any use of his extra Pawn with 44. Qe1! (and if 44. ... Qd4 then again 45. Qa1). The text dramatically fails to a pyrotechnic refutation. 44. ... Qc4 45. Qc3 Qa2+ 46. Nd2 Qc2!−+ 47. Qe5! A clever trick, but Caruana has calculated everything out. 47. ... Bxd2! Instead Artemiev was hoping for 47. ... Qxd1?? 48. Qxe6+ Kg7 49. Qxe3 Qe2+ 50. Qxe2 dxe2 51. Kf2 followed by the capture of the e-Pawn with a book draw. Now, despite any appearances to the contrary, there’s no perpetual check, but only the triumphant “long march” of Black’s King. 48. Qxe6+ Kg7 49. Qe7+ Rf7 50. Qe5+ Kf8 51. Qb8+ Ke7 52. Qe5+ Kd8 53. Qb8+ Kd7 54. Qb7+ Kd6 55. Qb6+ Ke5 56. Qb5+ Kd4 57. Qb6+ Kc4 58. Qe6+ Kc3 59. Qe5+ Kb3 60. Qd5+ Kb2 61. Qb5+ Bb4+ 62. Kg3 Qxd1 63. Qxb4+ Qb3 64. Qd2+ Kb1 65. Qe1+ Kc2 66. Qf2+ d2 0 : 1.

Things which don’t happen every day: Fabiano Caruana won the “Wimbledon of Chess” by 2 points! Photo: Alina l’Ami/Tata Steel Chess.

Be confident, Edna; — the Solaris Ocean is omniscient, and soon, after carefully reading your subconscious mind, will materialise a suitor for you

Artwork © Mypromovideos Studio

After all, it’s only a game

Fidel Castro (right) and Ernesto Che Guevara (left) playing chess in Havana, Cuba, 1960. Photo: Alberto Korda.

Come on, Edna, it’s time to start rehearsing your triumphal entry into the freed city and take careful note of anything you dislike

Artwork © Mazire Alex (@maz_draw)

Cycle Parking

Appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” is both a dance school and a chess960 club, and not a bicycle parking lot!

Matters of Gravity

侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Laurent Fressinet playing a game at “Gravity Chess” in Cap d’Agde, autumn 2019. Photo: Gravity Board Games.

Night Thoughts

In a nightly phone interview to 金雷 (Jīn Léi) and 张建东 (Zhāng Jiàndōng) for the 新民晚报 (Xīnmín Evening News), the newly re-crowned Women’s World Chess Champion 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) summed up her mood in three words: “Excited, happy, and tired”. In short, “That was by far the hardest match I ever played”. Photo: Alexander Safronov/Administration of Primorsky Krai.

Yes, Edna, I too think they did not understand in time that the Solaris Ocean is an intelligent entity

Artwork © HavenLadroma (@deavormode)

Caïssa Goes Hollywood

The Sixth Day

Culturally speaking, the Associazione Culturale “Il Delta della Luna” is not only a chess960 club, but the best place in the city of Florence to do things like dance and rehearse a choreography. So please be on time at four o’clock Saturday afternoon, taking care not to forget to bring with you a pair of clean sneakers to be used in the dance room only!

BrendanRizzo, “The Chess Fairy”, page 19. Illustration courtesy of BrendanRizzo/DeviantArt.

The Rat and the Tiger

A radiant 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) finally smiles after she succeeded in retaining her Women’s World Chess Champion title. “It was really a hard match, because we were of the same level”, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) said. “Goryachkina is very young, constantly in progress, and plays really good positional chess: no doubt she is a strategy builder. As for me, Chinese New Year starts tomorrow, and I could not have wished for a better gift!”. Photo © Yuri Smityuk/TASS.

“It’s a pity, of course, that I wasn’t able to win. But it was a valuable lesson, even though a bitter experience. I hope I’ll be back soon again — even stronger than before. I lacked confidence, experience, and a bit of luck”, Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina said, as proudly as she could. Photo © Yuri Smityuk/TASS.

The Third Eye

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina

Women’s World Chess Championship match; tie-break game 3; time control: 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move; Vladivostok, January 24, 2020

Réti Opening A07

The tie-breaker consists of a mini-match of four rapid games (25 minutes + 10 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1). If the score should be equal after the four games, well, let’s talk another time. 1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. 0-0 Nd7 5. h3 Bh5 6. d4 e6 7. c4 Be7 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Nc3 Bxf3 10. exf3!? In the first game of tie-break 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) recaptured with the Bishop, but after 10. Bxf3 Ngf6 11. Bf4 Nf8 12. Qb3 Qd7 13. Bg2 Ne6 14. Be3 0-0 15. Rad1 Ne8 16. Qa4 Qd8 17. Qc2 Nd6 White achieved nothing special. 10. ... Ngf6 11. h4 0-0 12. Bh3 Nb6 13. Qd3 Re8 14. b3 Nfd7 15. Re1 Bf6 16. Bd2 a5 17. Kg2 Nf8 18. Rxe8 Qxe8 19. Re1 Qd8 20. Nd1 Nbd7. Who knows, maybe it was better to re-route the Knight to d6 via c8. 21. Ne3 Qb6 22. Bc3 a4 23. b4 Ne6. Maybe 23. ... g6 should have been considered, making room for the Bishop at g7. 24. Bxe6 fxe6 25. Ng4 Re8 26. f4. White can be satisfied here due to the weakness of the e6-Pawn and the e5-square 26. ... Qd8 27. h5± h6?? This blunder nonsensically creates an awful “black hole” in g6, thus surrendering also the Kingside. Black’s mission was anything but easy anyway, but 27. ... b5 was a must, whether good or not good enough.

28. Re3. This “reinforcing” was probably not necessary, since White could play immediately 28. b5! breaking through as in the game. 28. ... Kh8. Black was still in time for 28. ... b5, even though now White can switch to the weakened light squares on the Kingside (for instance, by 29. Qg6 Kh8 30. Nh2!?). 29. b5!+− Nb8 30. Qe2 cxb5 31. Qxb5 Qc8 32. Qxa4 Nc6 33. Bb2 Re7 34. Qc2 Qe8 35. Nxf6 gxf6 36. Ba3 Rg7 37. f5 e5 (37. ... Nxd4 38. Qd3 Nxf5 39. Qxf5!+−) 38. dxe5 fxe5 39. f6 Rg5. Likewise after 39. ... Rg8 40. Rb3 Qf7 41. Rb6 Black ends up in zugzwang. 40. f4 Rxh5 41. fxe5 Qe6 42. Kg1 d4. This loses instantly, but neither 42. ... Qh3 43. Qg2+− nor 42. ... Rf5 43. Qc5+− can give Black any hope of survival. 43. Qg6 Qd7 44. e6 Qc7 45. Qxh5 1 : 0. Thanks to this easy victory 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) successfully defended her Women’s World Chess Championship title against Goryachkina.

“The third tie-break game turned out to be decisive. In the first, Goryachkina had her chances somewhere before move 25, but eventually I managed to restore the situation”, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) said. “Overall, the match was extremely balanced”. Photo © Yuri Smityuk/TASS.

In a certain way, yes, Edna. It’s a little like speaking when you are told to shut up

Artwork © philliplight

Lectures on Metaphysics

On the occasion of her lectio magistralis at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU), four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) recounted to her audience that she used to combine chess training and school study since she was 10 years old. “I never wanted to sacrifice my school studies, and I always took care to manage my time. Usually, I’ve been devoting to chess 5 hours each day, with peaks of 8–9 hours before important dates”, she said. 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) does not apparently share Morphy’s belief that “the time devoted to chess is literally frittered away” — as she thinks that chess may help in understanding human life well beyond the board. The word of Goddess is not bound. Photos credit: FEFU press office.

突破僵局制 (Tie-breaker)

Thus, by virtue of the tie-breaker rule, tomorrow will be just another day on the stage for four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

Hello, Goodbye

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 12; Vladivostok, January 23, 2020
Queen’s Pawn Game D01

1. d4 d5 2. Nc3. Apparently, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) just didn’t expect something like this. 2. ... Nf6. It took 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) about 20 minutes to make this obvious reply — and that could have been her crucial mistake! 3. Bf4 e6 4. Nb5 Na6 5. e3 Bb4+. Just about three years ago, at the Russian Team Blitz Championship, Goryachkina, with Black, preferred 5. ... c6 6. Nc3 Be7 7. Nf3 0-0 8. h3 c5 with fine play, Alekseenko – Goryachkina, Russian Team Blitz Championship, Sochi 2017. 6. c3 Be7 7. a4 0-0 8. Bd3 c6 9. Na3 c5 10. Nf3 Ne4 11. h3 f5 12. Nb5 c4 13. Bxe4 fxe4 14. Ne5 Nb8 15. 0-0 a6 16. Na3 Nd7 17. Nc2 Qe8. Objectively speaking, White got nothing out of the opening. 18. f3 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Bd7 20. Ne1 Qh5 21. Kh2 exf3 22. Nxf3 Be8 23. Qe1 Qg6 24. Bf4 Qe4 25. a5 h6 26. Nd2 Qh7 [26. ... Qd3!? 27. Nf3!? (27. e4 dxe4 28. Qxe4 Qxe4 29. Nxe4 Bc6=) 27. ... Qh7 28. Qg3 Qg6=]

27. e4! Finally, as the clock tickles by, Goryachkina uncovers her cards, which is enough to upset her opponent: “After 27. e4 I began to go astray, and things got worse and worse till the point of no return was passed”, 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) said afterwards. 27. ... dxe4 28. Be5 (28. Nxe4? g5!) 28. ... Rc8. 28. ... Rxf1 29. Nxf1 Qg6 was probably safer and a little more comfortable. 29. Rxf8+ Bxf8 30. Qe2 e3? 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s position falls apart under time pressure. Probably best was 30. ... Bc6 31. Nxc4 Qg6 32. Rf1 Be7 32. Ne3⩲ with an edge for White, but quite a solid position for Black. 31. Nxc4 Bb5 32. b3 Qe4 33. Rf1 Qc6 34. Qxe3 Qe8 (34. ... Bxc4 35. bxc4 Qxc4 36. Qf3+−) 35. Qe2 Qg6 36. Rf3 Kh7 37. Qf2 Bc6 38. Rg3 Qf5 39. Qe2 Rd8 40. Ne3 Qf7. Black has reached time control in a hopless situation, both positionally and materially, and Goryachkina can now mercilessly play her cat and mouse game: 41. Qd3+ g6 42. Rg4 Bg7 43. Bxg7 Kxg7 44. Nc4 Bb5 45. Qg3 Bxc4 46. bxc4 Rd7 47. Re4 Qf6 48. Qe3 Rd6 49. c5 Rc6 50. Kg1 Qf5 51. Rf4 Qg5 52. h4 Qe7 53. Qe5+ Kg8 54. Rf6 Kh7 55. h5 gxh5 56. Qf4 e5 57. Qxh6+ Kg8 58. Qg6+ Kh8 59. Qxh5+ Kg8 60. Qg5+ 1 : 0. Goryachkina did it her way and succeeded in taking the match to the tie-breaker tomorrow.

“Well, I was not ready to say goodbye today, so see you tomorrow”, Goryachkina finally said. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

Sure, Edna, your entry on stage will be welcomed by such a stormy applause that they will feel ashamed of themselves for not clapping enough

Take Two and Pass

Fabiano Caruana – Alireza Firouzja
82nd Tata Steel Chess Tournament; Wijk aan Zee, January 22, 2020
King’s Indian Defence E71

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. h3 0-0 6. Be3 Nc6 7. d5 Ne5 8. f4 Ned7 9. g4 c6 10. Nf3 cxd5 11. cxd5 b6!? A good novelty by Firouzja instead of 11. ... Nc5 which after 12. Bxc5 bxc5 13. e5 Nd7 14. Qc2 Qa5 15. Nd2 Nb6 16. a3 Nd7 17. 0-0-0 left White with a powerful Kingside initiative, Jones – Pavlidis, 21st European Team Chess Championship, Hersonissos 2017. 12. Nd4 Nc5 13. Qf3 Bb7 14. g5 Nfxe4!? Crazy complications arise after Firouzja’s bold Knight sacrifice. 15. Nxe4 Bxd5 16. Nf6+ exf6 17. Qxd5 Re8 18. Nc2 fxg5 19. 0-0-0 gxf4. Black secures a fourth Pawn for the Knight, as now 20. Bxf4?? Qf6−+ is obviously unplayable. 20. Bd4 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 Ne6 22. Qd2. With 22. Qxd6 Qf6 White wins back a Pawn, but gives Black a little too much compensation. 22. ... Qf6 23. Kb1 Rac8 24. Bb5 Red8 25. Nb4 d5! 26. Rhf1 (26. Nxd5?? Qf5+ 27. Ka1 Rxd5 28. Qxd5 Rc1+−+) 26. ... Rc5 27. a4 d4 28. Nd3 Rf5 29. Rf3 g5

30. Rg1!↑ Kf8? It’s really bad timing for His Majesty. Here both 30. ... h5!? (Δ ... h5-h4) and 30. ... Kh8! would have been rather more recommendable. 31. h4. Now Caruana’s attack spreads its wings. 31. ... h6 32. hxg5 hxg5 33. Rh3 f3 34. Bc4 Ke7 35. Bxe6 Kxe6 36. Qh2! (Δ Rh3-h6) 36. ... f2 37. Rf1 Kd7 38. Rh6 Qe7 39. Rxf2 Rxf2 40. Qxf2 Kc8 41. a5! bxa5. Now Caruana goes for mate: 42. Qc2+ Kb8 43. Nc5 Rd6 44. Rh8+ Rd8 45. Qb3+ Kc7 46. Qb7+ Kd6 47. Rh6+ f6 48. Ne4+ 1 : 0.

Not too soon to tell who’s won and who’s lost today, but it’s not yet time to “guess” who will win in Wijk aan Zee! Photo: Alina l’Ami/Tata Steel Chess.

Keynote

Before the endgame Caïssa made the middlegame and a grand opening to get into it. And thus the whole of today was overshadowed by the lectio magistralis held by four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and Rhodes Scholar 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) before an audience of students and professors at the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) on Russky Island, Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia on Wednesday morning, January 22, 2020. Photos © Eteri Kublashvili.

Concisely speaking

There are days in which even a lecturer should tell the audience something like this: “Not much to say here so this is going to be short”. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

Black and White Budget

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 11; Vladivostok, January 22, 2020
Spanish Game C67

Both 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Goryachkina apparently preferred to postpone to tomorrow the “High Noon” that had been set up for today. 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. 0-0 Nxe4 5. d4. Instead of 5. Re1, as in the 6th game. 5. ... Nd6 6. dxe5 Nxb5 7. a4 Nbd4 8. Nxd4 d5 9. exd6 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd6 11. Qe3+. Or, in short, 11. Qe4+ Qe6 12. Qd4 Qd6 13. Qe4+ Qe6 14. Qd4 ½ : ½ Vallejo Pons – Nakamura, 8th World Rapid Chess Championship, Moscow 2019. 11. ... Be6 12. Nc3 a6 13. Rd1 Qc6 14. Rd3 Bc5 15. Qg3!?TN f6 16. Bf4

16. ... 0-0!? Goryachkina offers a Pawn sacrifice which gives her dynamic equality thanks to the Bishop pair and a volatile initiative. 17. Bxc7 Bf5 18. Rd2 (18. Rd5 Bxc2 19. Bd6 Rfd8 20. Rxc5 Qxd6=) 18. ... Rf7 19. Bf4 Bb4 20. Rad1 Bxc3 21. Qxc3 Qxc3 22. bxc3. White’s extra Pawn is obviously meaningless, and a draw might well be agreed here, if were not for the rules of FIDE. 22. ... Rc8 23. Rd8+ Rxd8 24. Rxd8+ Rf8 25. Rxf8+ Kxf8 26. a5 Kf7 27. Kf1 Bxc2 28. Ke2 Ke6 29. Be3 Kd5 30. Bb6 Kc4 31. Kd2 Be4 32. g3 Bc6 33. f4 h5 34. h4 Kd5 35. Ke3 Ke6 36. Bc7 Kf5 37. Bb6 Bd7 38. Bc7 Ba4 39. Bb6 Kg4 40. Kf2 Bc6 ½ : ½. “Tomorrow, it will be my last chance”, Goryachkina eventually said. “It’s unpredictable, so I will simply sit and do my best”.

After today’s draw, tomorrow’s game will inevitably be a must-win game for Goryachkina and a must-not-lose game for 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.

Hot Ice

The Women’s World Chess Championship 2020 is now over, but not the memory of the two well-assorted commentators, four-time Women’s World Chess Champion 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán) and Grandmaster Nigel Short, who, with their warm zeal for Caïssa’s cause, have literally made ice melt all around the Golden Horn Bay. Photo Photo: Misha Friedman/FIDE.