Nothing But Time

Alisa Mikhailovna Galliamova – 谢军 (Xiè Jūn)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 3; Kazan, August 1, 1999
Spanish Game C96

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Nc6 12. d5 Na5 13. Nbd2 g6 14. b3 Bd7 15. Nf1 Nh5 16. Be3!?TN (16. Bh6 Re8 17. Qd2 Bf8 18. Bg5 Be7 19. Be3 Bf6 20. Rac1 c4 21. b4 Nb7 22. Ng3 Nxg3 23. fxg3 Be7 24. g4 ½ : ½ Psakhis – Romanishin, 2nd “Tigran Petrosian Memorial” International Tournament, Yerevan 1986) 16. ... Bf6 17. Kh2 Nb7 18. g3 Qc7 19. Qd2 Bg7 20. Qe2 Qc8. If only partially, the actual game was succinctly analysed by International Master Milos Jovičić in the Chess Informant (Šahovski Informator) issue No. 76, with one line running 20. ... f5?! 21. exf5 Bxf5 22. Ng5⩲ Δ 22. ... Bd7? 23. Nxh7! Nxg3 24. Nxg3 Kxh7 25. Qh5++− winning easily. 21. Ng1 Qe8 22. Bd2 f5 23. exf5. Grandmaster Marek Vokáč gives 23. f3 fxe4 24. fxe4 with equality, but 23. ... c4!? might well make more sense. 23. ... gxf5 24. Nf3 c4. Jovičić also considers here 24. ... e4!? 25. Nh4 Bf6 26. Ng2 b4 27. cxb4 Bxa1 28. Rxa1 Bb5 29. Qe1 which seems to offer White good compensation for the Exchange after, for instance, 29. ... Bxf1 30. Qxf1 Qe5 31. bxc5 Qxd5 (31. ... Nxc5 32. Nf4! Nxf4 33. Bxf4 Qb2 34. Rc1 Rad8 35. Bb1⩲) 32. Bh6 Rf6 33. b4! with very nasty threats, which are hardly summed up by the analyst’s assessment of “⩲”. 25. b4. 25. bxc4 Nc5 is what Black wished for. 25. ... a5 26. a3 Nf6 27. Ne3 axb4 28. axb4 Rxa1 29. Rxa1 f4 30. Nf5 Qh5 31. N5h4 e4! 32. Bxe4 Re8 33. g4 Qf7?? Correct was 33. ... Bxg4! 34. hxg4 Nxg4+ 35. Kg1 Nf6 and Black regains the Bishop with roughly equal chances. 34. Ng5+− Qe7

35. Ra8! Bf8. 35. ... Rxa8?? 36. Bxh7+ is a crude pointe of White’s arguments. Likewise after 35. ... Nxe4 36. Rxe8+ Bxe8 37. Qxe4 Qxe4 38. Nxe4 Black would sink into her heap of ruins. 36. Rxe8 Bxe8 37. Nf5 Qe5 38. Qf3 Nxe4 39. Nxe4 Kh8 40. Ng5 1 : 0.