A Point in Time

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 8; Vladivostok, January 17, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

And finally, today Goryachkina took a one-point lead over 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) thanks to a very convincing victory in a classic Queen’s Gambit. 1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Be7 8. Bd3 Ne4 9. Bg3 Nxg3 10. hxg3 Nd7 11. Nf3 Nf6 12. Qc2 Be6 13. 0-0-0 Qc7. A relatively recent game continued: 13. ... Bd6 14. Ne2 Qa5 15. Kb1 0-0-0 16. Nf4 Bg4 17. Rc1 g5 18. Ne2 Ne4 19. Nc3 Be6 20. a3 f5 21. Nb5 (Turov – Mikhalevski, 44th Rilton Cup, Stockholm 2015) and now after 21. ... Bb8! 22. Ne5! White should have an edge. 14. Kb1!?TN 0-0-0 15. Na4 Kb8 16. Nc5 Bxc5 17. dxc5 Bg4 18. Rc1 Bxf3 19. gxf3 d4 20. e4 g5 21. Qd2 Nd7 22. f4 f6. This may seem quite too passive for a hunted woman, but indeed it might be playable. 23. Rh5 gxf4 24. gxf4 Nf8 25. f5! Qg7?! 25. ... Nd7!? 26. f4 (26. Rxh6 Rxh6 27. Qxh6 Ne5 is what Black wishes for) 26. ... Rhg8!? 27. Rxh6 Rg4 is rather unclear, but 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) apparently felt not sure enough to take such risk. 26. Qf4+ Ka8 27. Qh2! Nd7 28. f4 Qf8? Probably better was 28. ... Rdg8 in order to reply to 29. b4 (29. Bc4 Re8 30. Be6 Qe7! is about equal) with 29. ... Qg3 defending more realistically. Now White breaks through easily and inevitably. 29. b4 b6

30. e5! bxc5 31. Qh1! Nb8 32. Be4. 32. b5+− suggested itself. 32... Rh7 33. Rxc5 Rb7 34. Bxc6 Nxc6 35. Qxc6. White has not only a Pawn more but an imposing position. 35. ... d3 36. Rb5 Rb8. If 36. ... Rd7 then 37. Rh1 is simplest. 37. e6! “After 37. e6 I felt confident that I would win”, Goryachkina said afterwards. 37. ... Qd8 38. Rh1 d2 39. Rd5 Qc8 40. Qxc8 Rxb4+ 41. Ka1 Rxc8 42. Rxd2 Kb7 (42. ... Rxf4 43. e7 Re4 44. Rd8+−) 43. Rd7+ Kb6 44. e7 Re8 45. Re1 1 : 0.

Now, however, both Goryachkina and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) will have to do their best and hope for the best. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.