Alice Through the Cellophane

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Vadim Vikotorovich Zvjaginsev
73rd Russian Chess Championship Higher League; Sochi, October 11, 2020
Catalan Opening E00

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 c5 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 cxd4 7. Nf3 b6 8. b4 Bb7 9. Qxd4 d5 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Bb2. 11. Qxd5 Bxd5 12. Bg2 Nbd7 13. 0-0 Rc8 14. Bb2 Ke7 15. Rac1 Rhd8 seems quite balanced as well, Percivaldi – Dudin, First Saturday GM March 2020, Budapest 2020. 11. ... Qxd4 12. Bxd4 Bd5 13. Bg2 Nc6 14. 0-0 Nxd4 15. Nxd4 0-0-0. Dogmatically speaking, a King move such as 15. ... Ke7 would have been much more to the point, and if 16. Rac1 (or 16. Rfc1) Black can reply 16. ... Rhc8 with a near equality endgame. Maybe castling is not objectively wrong, but it leaves White with a small but enduring initiative. 16. Rac1+ Kb8 17. Bxd5 Rxd5 18. Nc6+ Kb7 19. Rc2 Re8 20. Rfc1 e5 21. a4 a6 22. Rc4 e4 23. e3 Rd7 24. b5 a5 25. h3 h5 26. Kf1 Nh7 27. Nd4 Ng5 28. h4 Ne6 29. Nxe6 Rxe6 30. Ke2 f5 31. Rd1 Rxd1 32. Kxd1 Rd6+ 33. Ke2 Rg6 34. Rc3 Kb8 35. Rc4 Kb7 36. Rd4 Kc7 37. Rd5 Rf6 38. f3

38. ... Rg6? Zvjaginsev defended well so far, but the text precipitates him into an indefensible ending. After 38. ... exf3+ 39. Kxf3 g6 a draw appears inevitable. 39. Rxf5 Rxg3 40. fxe4 Rg2+? Just making bad worse. Comparatively better was 40. ... Rg4, although after 41. Rf4 Rg2+ 42. Kf3 Rg1 43. Rf7+ Kd6 44. Rb7 White has a Pawn more and a much better endgame. 41. Kf3 Ra2 42. Rxh5 Rxa4 43. Rg5 Ra1 (43. ... Kd6 44. Kf4+−) 44. e5 Kd7 45. Rxg7+ (45. Ke4 Ke6 46. Rg6+ Kf7 47. Rxb6+−) 45. ... Ke6 46. Kf4 Rh1 47. Rg6+ Kd5 48. Rd6+ Kc5 49. Kg5 a4 50. Rd3 Rg1+ 51. Kf5 Rf1+ 52. Ke4 Rh1 53. e6 Rxh4+ 54. Kf5 Rh7 55. Kg6 Rh4 56. Rd4 Rh3 57. Re4 Rg3+ 58. Kf5 Rf3+ 59. Kg4 (59. Kg5 Rg3+ 60. Kf4+−) 59. ... Rf8

60. e7? A mistake which throws away a victory. Simply 60. Rxa4! Kd6 (60. ... Kxb5 61. Re4+−) 61. Ra6!+− leads to an easily won ending for White. 60. ... Re8 61. Kf5 a3 62. Ke6 Kxb5 63. Rf4 a2 64. Rf1 Ka4 65. Kd7 Rb8 66. e8=Q Rxe8 67. Kxe8 b5 68. Rf7 Kb3 69. Ra7 Kb2 70. e4 b4 71. e5 b3 72. e6 a1=Q 73. Rxa1 ½ : ½.

At a certain point, Goryachkina’s advantage was even larger than was visible through the plexiglass. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.