Far and Near

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn)
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2019–2020; 3rd stage; Lausanne, March 12, 2020
Semi-Tarrasch Defence D41

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 c5 7. Nf3 cxd4 8. cxd4 Bb4+ 9. Bd2 Bxd2+ 10. Qxd2 0-0 11. Bc4 Nd7 12. 0-0 b6 13. Rad1. In the third game of their recent Sino-Russian Women’s World Chess Championship match Goryachkina continued 13. a4. 13. ... Bb7 14. Rfe1 Rc8 15. Bb3 Re8 16. h3 h6 17. Re3 Nf6 18. Qe2 Rc7 19. d5 exd5 20. e5 Nh5 21. Rd4 g6 22. Qd2 Qe7!? And here comes the novelty. A not too recent game went 22. ... Ng7 23. Bxd5 Qa8? (23. ... Bxd5 24. Rxd5 Qa8 was quite playable) 24. Red3?! (24. Bb3! Qc8 25. Red3+−) 24. ... Nf5? (Black had probably nothing better than giving up a Pawn by 24. ... Bxd5 25. Rxd5 Qc6 26. Qxh6 Qc1+ 27. Qxc1 Rxc1+ 28. Kh2±) 25. Bxb7 Qxb7 26. Rd7 Rec8 27. e6! fxe6 28. Ne5 Rxd7 29. Rxd7 Rc7 30. Rd8+ Kh7 31. Nd7 Nh4 32. Rh8+ 1 : 0 Illescas Córdoba – Comas Fabrego, 49th Spanish Team Chess Championship (División de Honor), Mérida 2005. 23. Nh2 Qc5 24. Re1 Qc3 25. Qd1 Rec8

26. e6 Nf6 27. Ng4 Nxg4 28. Rxg4 Kg7 29. exf7 Rxf7 30. Re6 g5 31. Kh2 Qc7+ (31. ... Rxf2? 32. Rg3!+−) 32. Rg3! Rcf8 33. Qd4+ Rf6 34. h4 Qc5? Black shows no strength for defending her position. 34. ... Qf4 35. Qxf4 Rxf4 36. hxg5 hxg5 (if 36. ... h5 then 37. Rc3! may be very unpleasant) 37. Rxg5+ Kf7 38. Rge5 Rxf2 39. Re7+ Kf6 40. Kg1 Rb2 41. R5e6+ Kf5 42. Re1 Ba6 43. Rxa7⩲ would leave White with only a minimal advantage in the ending — even despite her eventually gaining the d5-Pawn. 35. Qe5+− d4 36. hxg5 hxg5 37. Rxg5+ Kh8 38. Rh5+ Kg7 39. Qg3+ 1 : 0. Mate in two follows.

Grégoire Junod, Mayor of Lausanne, makes the first move in the game between Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina and 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn). Photo © David Llada.