To castle, or not to castle, that is not the question

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 10; Vladivostok, January 20, 2020
Queen’s Gambit Declined D35

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Bf5. Varying from 6. ... h6, as in the 8th game. 7. Qf3 Bg6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Qxf6 gxf6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. Nh4 Be7 12. Ne2 f5 13. g3 Bxh4 14. gxh4 Nf6 15. Nf4. To castle, or not to castle, that is not the question: 15. Rg1 Ke7 16. Bh3 Rae8 17. Nf4 Kd6 18. Kd2 Re7 19. a4 a5 20. Ra3 Rhe8 21. Rb3 Kc7 22. Rc1 Kd6 23. Bg2 Nh5? 24. Nxd5! cxd5 25. Rb6+ Kd7 26. Bf1! Kd8 27. Bb5 Re4 28. Rxb7 Nf6 29. b4+− f4 30. bxa5 fxe3+ 31. fxe3 Rxh4 32. Bxe8 Rxh2+ 33. Kc3 Ne4+ 34. Kb3 Nd2+ 35. Kb4 Nc4 36. Bb5 Rb2+ 37. Kc5 Nxa5 38. Rd7+ Kc8 39. Kxd5+ Kb8 40. Rd8+ Kb7 41. Kd6 Kb6 42. Ra8 1 : 0 Kramnik – Aleksandrov, 43rd Chess Olympiad, Batumi 2018. 15. ... Nh5 16. Kd2!? It’s probably not a coincidence that a day earlier the same matter produced no better result: 16. Be2 Nxf4 17. exf4 h5 18. Kd2 Kd7 19. Bd3 Rae8 20. Rhg1 Kd6 21. b4 Re7 22. a4 Rhe8 23. Ra3 b6 24. Rc3 Rc7 25. Rgc1 Ree7 26. a5 Re8 27. axb6 axb6 28. Ra1 b5 29. Ra6 Kd7 30. Rc5 Re6 31. Ra8 Rb7 32. Rc1 Ke7 33. Rca1 Kd7 34. Rf8 Ke7 35. Rh8 Kf6 36. Rc8 Rb6 37. Rd8 Re7 38. Raa8 Re6 39. Ra7 Kg7 40. Rdd7 Kf6 41. Bc2 Re8 42. Ra3 Re6 43. Rd8 Re7 44. Rda8 Re6 45. Rg3 Re7 46. Rg5 Re6 47. Ra7 Re8 48. Ra3 Re6 49. Bd3 ½ : ½ Ganguly – E. l’Ami, 82nd Tata Steel Challengers Tournament, Wijk aan Zee 2020. 16. ... Nxf4 17. exf4 Ke7 18. Be2 h5 19. Rae1 Kd6 20. Bd3. Much depends upon whether Black’s light-squared Bishop succeeds at getting a range of scope. 20. ... Rae8 21. Re3. 21. Re5! seemed to be more binding, with a Morphy-like centralisation. 21. ... Rxe3 22. fxe3 a5 23. a3 b6 24. b4. Indeed, gifting Black the a-file does not seem the best idea. 24. ... axb4 25. axb4 Ra8 26. b5 c5 27. dxc5+ bxc5 28. Rb1 Kc7 29. b6+ Kb7 30. Rb5 Rc8 31. Be2 f6 32. Ra5 Rc6 33. Ra7+ Kxb6 34. Rd7 Re6 35. Rxd5 Kc6 36. Bf3 Rd6 37. Rd3+ Kc7 38. Bd5 Be8 39. Kc3 Bb5 40. Rd2 Ra6 41. Bb3 Bd7 42. Rg2. The Bishop ending which arises after 42. Ra2 Rxa2 43. Bxa2 Be8 44. Be6 Bg6 appears to be very drawish as well. 42. ... Be6. Strangely, this came as a surprise for Goryachkina. 43. Bxe6. Goryachkina said afterwards that this is where she started to lose the thread, unrealistically playing for a win in a dead drawn Rook ending. White could avoid the exchange of Bishops by 43. Bc2, but then after 43. ... Ra3+ 44. Kd2 Ra2 Black draws immediately. 43. ... Rxe6 44. Kd3 Kd6 45. Rg8 Kd5 46. Rd8+ Rd6 47. Rc8 Rd7 48. Rh8 c4+ 49. Kc3 Re7 50. Kd2 Ra7 51. Rxh5 Ra2+ 52. Kc3 Ra3+

53. Kb4?? This is an almost incredible blunder, especially considering that Goryachkina was not too short of time. Correct was 53. Kb2! Rb3+ 54. Kc2 Ke4 55. Rh7 Kxe3 56. Rc7 with a draw. 53. ... Rb3+ 54. Ka4 Ke4 55. Rh8 Rb7 56. Rc8 Kd3 57. h5 c3 58. h6 c2 59. Ka3 Kd2 60. Rd8+ Kxe3 61. Rc8 Kd2 62. Rd8+ Kc1 0 : 1.

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s victory today might indicate that the Russian coaches have put too much pressure on Goryachkina. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.