Pink and Mate

Mariya Olehivna Muzychuk – Humpy Koneru
2nd Cairns Cup; Saint Louis, February 8, 2020
Russian Defence C43

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nc3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bd6. Another line is 7. ... Nxe5 8. dxe5 Bc5 9. 0-0 0-0 10. Qh5 g6 11. Qh6 Re8 12. Bg5 Be7 13. Bxe7 Qxe7 14. Rae1 c5 15. c4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Bf5 17. c3 Rad8 18. Re3 Qf8 19. Qg5 Qe7 20. Qh6 Qf8 21. Qg5 Qe7 22. Qh6 Qf8 ½ : ½ Kosteniuk – Koneru, 1st Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship, Batumi 2012. 8. 0-0 0-0 9. Re1 Bxe5 10. dxe5 Nc5 11. Rb1 Nxd3 12. cxd3 b6 13. Rb4 Bf5!? Things change as time passes, though not always for better and not always for worse. Anyway, also after 13. ... f5 14. exf6 Qxf6 15. Rf4 Bf5 16. Bd2 Qd6 17. Qf3 Bd7 Black’s position proved to be solid enough to eventually achieve a draw at move 80, A. Y. Sokolov – Schandorff, 20th SchachBundesliga, Bremen 2001. 14. Qf3 c5 15. Rf4 Bg6 16. h4 h5

17. g4!? Muzychuk boldly sacrifices a Pawn for complications. 17. ... Qxh4 18. Qg2 Qe7? A terrible mistake after which White’s attack is unstoppable. Even worse would be 18. ... Bxd3?? on account of 19. g5 winning the Queen, but 18. ... Qg5! was probably good enough to hold everything together (19. e6 Rfe8∞). 19. gxh5 Bxh5 20. Re3!→ Rfe8 21. Qh2. 21. e6! is probably the most disruptive move on the board, but Muzychuk doesn’t need to be in hurry as the opportunity for such a climax will not slip away. 21. ... g6 22. Rf5! Once again, White could play at once 22. e6! fxe6 23. Rg3 winning as in the game. 22. ... Bg4. The Rook is taboo: 22. ... gxf5?? 23. Qxh5 f4 24. Qg4+ Kf8 25. Qxf4 with irresistible attack (25. ... Qe6 26. Qh4+−). 23. Rf4 Bh5 24. e6! Finally! 24. ... fxe6 25. Rg3 Kh7. Queen and King may trade squares by 25. ... Qh7 26. Rh4 Kf7, but after 27. Rg5 the result cannot change. 26. Rh4 Qf7 27. Rg5 Rg8 28. Kf1! Qf3

29. Rhxh5+! gxh5 30. Qc7+! She who says A must say B too! Curiously enough, in his live commentary, four-time U.S. Chess Champion Yasser Seirawan predicted 30. Rxh5+ that after 30. ... Kg6 no matter what White does it’s a draw! 30. ... Kh8 31. Qe5+ Kh7 32. Rxh5+ Kg6. Koneru chivalrously allows her opponent to mate. 33. Qg5+ Kf7 34. Rh7+ 1 : 0.

In today’s game, Muzychuk displayed all her tactical mastery. Photo: Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club.