Once a Pawn a Board

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Lagno – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
2nd Cairns Cup; Saint Louis, February 11, 2020
Sicilian Defence B22

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 d5 4. exd5 Qxd5 5. d4 Bg4 6. Be2 cxd4 7. cxd4 e6 8. Nc3 Bb4 9. 0-0 Qa5 10. Be3. Here is a game which combines genius and novelty: 10. a3!! Nf6 11. d5! exd5 12. axb4 Qxa1 13. Nd2! Bxe2 14. Qxe2+ Ne7 15. Re1! 0-0 16. Nb3 Qa6 17. Qxa6 bxa6 18. Rxe7 Rab8 19. b5 axb5 20. Rxa7 b4 21. Ne2 Rfc8 22. f3 Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Kf2 Nd7 25. Nf4 Nb6 26. Ke3 Rc8 27. Kd3 g5 28. Nh5 1 : 0 Alekhine – Podgorný, Prague 1943. The punctuation — probably a little dated — is by Alekhine himself. 10. ... Bxc3 11. bxc3 Qxc3? Maybe it’s psychology: 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) takes a deliberate gamble which could well cost her the game! 11. ... Nge7 12. Qb3 0-0 was a normal way to proceed.

12. d5! exd5 13. Qxd5. Maybe, not wrong, but it is certainly not in Alekhine’s style! Very convincing seems to be 13. Bd4! Nxd4 14. Nxd4 Bxe2 (14. ... Bd7 15. Bb5!+−) 15. Qxe2+ Kf8 (not 15. ... Kd8?? because of 16. Rfe1! with a mating attack) 16. Qe5 and it is a nightmare for Black. 13. ... Nge7 14. Qb5 0-0 15. Qxb7 Rfb8 16. Qa6 Rb2 17. Rac1 Qf6 18. Rfe1 h6 19. a3 Rab8 20. h3 Bc8 21. Qc4 Be6 22. Qc5. Doubtless Lagno let her chances pass. The nemesis is inevitable: 22. ... Bxh3! 23. gxh3. The engines doubt Black’s compensation after 23. Bd2! Qg6 24. Nh4 Qf6 25. Bc3 Qxh4 26. Bxb2 Rxb2 27. Rc4 Qf6 28. gxh3 — but who can tell? 23. ... Rxe2! 24. Rxe2 Qxf3 25. Rec2 Qxh3 26. Qd6? Rd8. Now, certainly Black has powerful compensation. 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)’s final crescendo is impressive and elegant: 27. Qg3 Qe6 28. Rc5 Nd4 29. Bxd4 Rxd4 30. Re5 Qd7 31. Qf3 Ng6 32. Re3 Rg4+ 33. Kf1 Qb5+ 34. Ke1 Rg1+ 35. Kd2 Qb2+ 36. Rc2 Qd4+ 37. Rd3 Qa1 38. Re3 Rf1 39. Re8+ Kh7 40. Re4 f6 41. Qf5 Rg1 42. Re3

42. ... Rd1+ 43. Ke2 Rd5! 0 : 1.

Maybe they were thinking that they have met very often in the last few years. Photo: Lennart Ootes/Saint Louis Chess Club.