Black and White in Colour

Alexander Sergeyevich Zabotin – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
73rd Russian Chess Championship Higher League; Sochi, October 16, 2020
Semi-Slav Defence D45

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 0-0 8. Be2 b6 9. 0-0 Bb7 10. Bb2 Re8 11. Rad1 Rc8 12. e4 Nxe4 13. Nxe4 dxe4 14. Qxe4 Nf6 15. Qh4 h6 16. Ne5 Qc7 17. Bf3 c5 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 19. Ng4 Nxg4 20. Qxg4 cxd4 21. Bxd4 Bf8 22. a4 Red8 23. Be5 Qe7 24. Rxd8?! This is the seed of White’s next radically wrong move. 24. ... Rxd8

25. Rd1?? A ruinous blunder which loses on the spot due to tactics. White had to content himself with holding his position — for instance, by 25. Qe2. 25. ... Qg5! 0 : 1. White cannot avoid material loss.

So far, Goryachkina’s succeeded at keeping up her challenge at the top of the Higher League. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.