Waking the Tiger

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
Women’s World Chess Championship match game 3; 上海 (Shànghǎi), January 8, 2020
Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 0-0 11. Bc4. The move favoured by Estonian Grandmaster Paul Petrovich Keres. 11. ... Nd7 12. 0-0 b6 13. a4 Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8. 陰陽 (Yīn and Yáng): 14. ... Nf6 15. Bd3 h6 16. a5 bxa5 17. Rxa5 Qc7 18. Ne5 Rfc8 19. f3 Qd8 20. Bf1 Nd7 21. Nc4 Nb6 22. Ne3 Rc7 23. Rea1 Rd7 24. Nc2 Nc8 25. Bb5 Rd6 26. Qb4 Rb8 27. Bd3 Ne7 28. Rb5 a6 29. e5 Rc6 30. Rxb7 Rxb7 31. Qxb7 Rxc2 32. Qe4 Rc8 33. Rxa6 Nf5 34. Kf2 Qxd4+ 35. Qxd4 Nxd4 36. Be4 g6 ½ : ½ Salem – 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), FIDE Grand Prix 2017, 2nd stage, Moscow 2017. 15. Bd3. Not exactly saving a tempo over 15. Bb5 Nf6 16. Bd3 Ne8 17. d5 Nc7 18. Rad1 exd5 19. exd5 Bxd5 20. Ne5 h6 21. Bf5 Be6 22. Bxe6 Nxe6 23. Qa2 Qc7 24. Nxf7 Qxf7 25. Rxe6 Rfe8 26. Rxe8+ Rxe8 27. Qc2 Qe6 28. h3 Qe4 29. Qb3+ Kh7 30. g3 Rf8 31. Qd3 Qxd3 32. Rxd3 Rc8 ½ : ½ Goryachkina – Tregubov, 14th Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival, Catalan Bay 2016. 15. ... a5 16. Qb2 Qe7 17. Nd2 Rfd8 18. Rab1!? Here is Goryachkina’s novelty. Also after 18. Bf1 Rc7 19. Rac1 Rdc8 the game eventually ended in draw, Moranda – Kveinys, 49th Rubinstein Memorial, Polanica-Zdrój 2013. 18. ... Bc6 19. Bc2 h6 20. Nf1 Qg5 21. Ne3 Ba8 22. f3 Rc7 23. Bd3

23. ... Rdc8. Who knows, maybe one day 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) might even regret not having dared more by 23. ... Ne5! 24. dxe5 Rxd3 25. Qxb6 Rcc3! with a powerful initiative for the Pawn. 24. Ba6 Bb7 25. Bxb7 Rxb7 26. Qf2 Qd8 27. Red1 Nf6 28. d5 Rd7 29. Rd4 Qe7 30. Rbd1 Rcd8 31. Nc4 exd5. Black decides to sacrifice her weak b6-Pawn, relying on the high drawing coefficient of the ensuing heavy piece ending down a Pawn — and the final result will prove her right. Most commentators recommend 31. ... Qc5, but with only a few minutes left on her clock 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) probably didn’t feel able to fully appreciate the complications involved in 32. Ne5 Rd6 33. Qb2! (threatening to trap the Queen with Rd1-c1) 33. ... Nxd5!! 34. Nd3 (34. Rc1?? Nc3!−+) 34. ... Qxd4+ 35. Qxd4 Nf4∞ with a dynamic equilibrium. 32. Nxb6 Rb7 33. Nxd5 Nxd5 34. exd5 Qd6 35. h3 Rdb8 36. Qe1 Rb4 37. Re4 g6 38. Kh1 h5 39. Re8+ Rxe8 40. Qxe8+ Kg7 41. Qc6 Qxc6 42. dxc6 Rc4 43. Rd5 Rxc6 44. Rxa5 Rc1+ 45. Kh2 h4 46. Rd5 Ra1 47. a5 f5 48. g4 Ra2+ 49. Kg1 fxg4 50. hxg4 Kh6 51. Rb5 g5 52. Rb6+ Kg7 53. a6 Kh7 54. Rb7+ Kg6 55. a7 Kh6 56. Kf1 Kg6 57. Ke1 h3 58. Rb2 Ra1+ 59. Kf2 h2 60. a8=Q Rxa8 61. Kg2 Rh8 62. Rb1 Ra8 63. Kxh2 Ra2+ 64. Kg3 Rc2 65. Rf1 Ra2 66. Rf2 Ra3 67. Rd2 Ra6 68. Kf2 Re6 69. Re2 Ra6 70. Ke3 Re6+ 71. Kd3 Rd6+ 72. Kc4 Kf6 73. Ra2 Ke5 74. Ra5+ Kf4 75. Rf5+ Kg3 76. Kc3 Rd8 77. Kc4 Rd7 78. Kc5 Rd3 79. Rxg5 Rxf3 80. Rg8 Kh4 81. g5 Kh5 82. g6 Kh6 83. Kd5 Rg3 84. Rh8+ Kg7 85. Rh1 ½ : ½. Today’s draw was perceived by some to have been less peaceful with respect to the previous games, but, when asked about it afterwards, both 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) and Goryachkina quite diplomatically avoided any comment on what they agreed to call a complex and complicated game.

Goryachkina still insisted in her strategy of getting something out of nothing, while 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) contented herself with patiently defending her own case. Photo: Sina Sports.