Lady Miracle

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 9; Vladivostok, January 19, 2020
Réti Opening A06

It is not exaggeration to say that today 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) had to sit and invent something that might help her to restore, if not the match score, at least her self-confidence. 1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 c5 3. e3 a6 4. Bb2 Nc6 5. d4 Nf6 6. Nbd2 cxd4 7. exd4 g6 8. a3 Bg7 9. Bd3 Nh5 10. g3 0-0 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. dxe5 d4. Goryachkina herself criticised this move afterwards, and suggested instead 12. ... f6! (13. Qe2 Qc7). 13. f4 f6 14. Qe2 fxe5 15. fxe5 Bh6 16. 0-0-0 Be3 17. Rhf1 Bh3. This is not a venial slip. As will become soon clear, Black ought first to play 17. ... Rxf1+ 18. Rxf1 and then 18. ... Bh3 with a complex but balanced game. 18. Rxf8+ Qxf8 19. Kb1. There must be a reason of why 19. Be4! — attacking both the b7-Pawn and d4-Pawn — is given by the engines and not even considered by the terrestrial beings. 19. ... b5 20. Nf1 Bg1 21. a4. This came as a surprise to Goryachkina. 21. ... bxa4 22. bxa4 Qc8! 23. Bc4+ Kh8 24. e6 Nf6 25. Rxd4!!?? 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) boldly and understandably goes all-in for a win! 25. Bxd4 was objectively safer, but also much less likely to reopen the matter. 25. ... Bxd4 26. Bxd4 Qb7+ 27. Ka2?! 27. Kc1 Rb8 was not too inviting either, but the text may cost even dearer. 27. ... Rd8? Best was 27. ... Qb4!∓/−+ challenging White to prove the soundness of her Exchange sacrifice. 28. Bb2 Rb8 29. Bb3 Qg2? Goryachkina unwittingly traps herself into an untenable deadlock. Best was 29. ... h5! 30. Qe5 Kh7 defending stubbornly.

30. Qe5. With the daring threat of a Queen sacrifice on f6, but 30. Qc4! Qxf1 31. Qc7 Re8 32. Qd7!+− was a much better way to seize the day. 30. ... Rxb3 31. cxb3 Qc6. Not 31. ... Qxf1?? because of 32. Qc7! winning immediately. 32. Nd2 Bxe6 33. Ka3 Kg8 34. Nf3 Qd5 35. Qb8+ Kg7 36. Ne5 Qc5+ 37. Qb4 Qxb4+? The exchange of Queens makes it much harder for Goryachkina, which means that 37. ... Qc7! was a strategic must. 38. Kxb4 Kf8 39. Nc4 Ne4 40. Bd4 Ke8? The immediate 40. ... Nd6 was Black’s best chance to go for a draw (for if 41. Nd2 then 41. ... Nb7). 41. Ka5 Nd6 42. Nd2 Bc8 43. Kb6 Kd8 44. Be5! Kd7 45. Bf4 g5 46. Bxg5 e5 47. Be3 Ke6 48. Kc7 Bd7 49. Bc5 Nf5 50. Kb6 Kd5 51. Nb1 e4 52. Nc3+ Ke5 53. Kxa6 e3 54. a5 Nd4 55. b4 Bg4 56. Kb6 e2 57. Bxd4+ Kxd4 58. Nxe2+ Bxe2 59. a6 Bf3 60. a7 h5 61. b5 Kc4 62. h3! 1 : 0.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) burned all bridges behind her and broke thru the ice to win back the ninth game. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.