Le Roi a fait battre tambour

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Alexey Vasilyevich Sarana

1st Trophée CapÉchecs Online; quarterfinal game 1; europe-echecs.com, October 25, 2020

Catalan Opening E01

In her quarterfinal two-game match against Sarana, Goryachkina was beaten 2–0, thus showing again that online chess is not her vocation. Everything happened in the first game, where she managed to lose a perfectly drawable ending. Time control is, as usual, 10 minutes plus 3 seconds per move. 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Nd2 d5 5. Bg2 0-0 6. Ngf3 dxc4 7. a3 Bxd2+ 8. Bxd2 Bd7 (8. ... Nc6 9. e3 Rb8 10. 0-0 b5 11. b3 Ba6 12. Qc2 Qd7 13. bxc4 bxc4 14. Rfc1 Rb6 15. Bc3 Rfb8 16. Nd2 h6 17. Qa4 Bb5 18. Qd1 Nd5 19. a4 Ba6 20. a5 Nxc3 21. Rxc3 Rb4 22. Ne4 Ne7 23. Nc5 Qb5 24. Bf1 Nf5 25. e4 Nd6 26. Qc1 Bb7 27. Qe3 Rb1 28. Rxb1 Qxb1 29. f3 Bc6 30. g4 Qa1 31. Rc1 Rb1 32. Rxb1 Qxb1 33. Qc3 Qd1 34. Kf2 Nb5 35. Qxc4 Nxd4 36. Be2 Qd2 37. Nb3 Nxb3 38. Qxb3 Qxa5 39. Qb8+ Kh7 40. Qf8 Qd2 0 : 1 Goryachkina – Bartel, 19th European Individual Chess Championship, Batumi 2018) 9. Rc1 Bb5 10. Ne5 Nc6 11. Nxc6 Bxc6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Bb4 Qd5 14. 0-0 Rfd8 15. Be7 Rdb8 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Rc2 Rb3 18. e3 Rab8 19. Qe2 R8b6 20. Rfc1 Qf5 21. e4 Qf3 22. Qxf3 Rxf3 23. Rxc4 Rxb2 24. R1c2 Rxc2 25. Rxc2 Rxa3 26. Rxc6 Ra4 27. Rxc7 Rxd4 28. Rxa7 Rxe4. As a result, a very drawish Rook endgame with four Pawns against three on the same side has arisen. 29. Kg2 Kg7 30. Kf3 Rb4 31. h4 f5 32. Rc7 Ra4 33. Rb7 Kg6 34. Rc7 h5 35. Rb7 Rg4 36. Rb5 f6 37. Rb8 e5 38. Rg8+ Kh7 39. Rf8 Kg7 40. Ra8 f4

41. Rb8. Perhaps simpler was 41. gxf4 Rxf4+ (or 41. ... exf4 42. Ke4 Kxh4 43. f3=) 42. Kg3 Rg4+ 43. Kh3 e4 (otherwise there follows f2-f3) 44. Ra3 with a draw in hand. 41. ... fxg3 42. fxg3 Ra4 43. Rc8 Ra3+ 44. Kf2 Kg6 45. Rh8 Rb3 46. Ra8 Kf5 47. Rh8 Rb2+ 48. Ke3 Kg6 49. Kf3 Rb3+ 50. Kf2 Ra3 51. Rb8 Ra7 52. Kf3 Rc7 53. Ra8 Rc3+ 54. Kf2 Rc2+ 55. Kf3 Kf5

56. Rh8?? A losing blunder under the stress of time pressure. White had to play 56. Rg8 defending the g-Pawn and preventing the Black King from penetrating via g4. 56. ... e4+ 57. Ke3 Rc3+ 58. Kf2 Kg4−+ 59. Rg8+ Kh3 60. Rg6 Rf3+ 61. Ke2 f5 62. Rg5 Kg2 63. Rxh5 Kxg3 64. Rh8 Kf4 65. h5 Rh3 66. h6 Rh2+ 67. Kd1 Ke3 68. h7 f4 69. Ra8 Rh1+ 70. Kc2 Rxh7 71. Ra3+ Kf2 72. Ra4 Kf3 0 : 1.