Gendered Resistance

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Daniil Dmitrievich Dubov
27th Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, November 21, 2020
Catalan Opening E05

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 0-0 6. Nc3 dxc4 7. Ne5 Nc6. Another way is 7. ... c5 8. dxc5 Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 Bxc5 10. 0-0 Nc6 11. Bxc6 bxc6 12. Be3 Bb6 13. Bxb6 axb6 14. Nxc6 Bb7 15. Nb4 Nd5 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Nc3 Bc6 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. f3 Kf8 20. Kf2 Ke7 with a nearly equal ending, Goryachkina – 居文君 (Jū Wénjūn), 上海 (Shànghǎi) 2020, Women’s World Chess Championship match game 1. 8. Bxc6 bxc6 9. Nxc6 Qe8 10. Nxe7+ Qxe7 11. Qa4 Nd5 12. Qxc4 a5 13. Bd2 Ba6 14. Qc5 Qd7 15. f3!? Goryachkina adds her novel nuance to the theory so far recorded: 15. Rc1 a4 (15. ... Rfb8 16. b3 Nxc3 17. Rxc3 Rb5 18. Qxc7 Qxd4 19. Be3 Qe4 20. 0-0 Rbb8 21. Rfc1 h6 22. f3 Qg6 23. Kf2 a4 24. Qf4 axb3 25. axb3 Qh5 26. h4 Qd5 27. b4 Qb5 28. R1c2 Rc8 29. Rc5 Rxc5 30. bxc5 Bb7 31. Qe5 Bd5 32. c6 Rc8 33. c7 Qd7 34. Qc3 f6 35. Bb6 Qb5 36. Rb2 Qa4 37. e4 Bc6 38. Rd2 Kh7 39. Rd8 Bb7 40. Kg2 Ba6 41. g4 Qb5 42. Bf2 h5 43. gxh5 Qxh5 44. Qa3 Qb5 45. Qe7 Qf1+ 46. Kg3 Qc1 47. Rd7 Qh6 48. Qxe6 Qg6+ 49. Kh2 Bb5 50. Rd8 Rxc7 51. Qg8+ 1 : 0 Oparin – Buhmann, 20th European Individual Chess Championship, Skopje 2019) 16. f3 Rfb8 17. Nd1 f5 18. Kf2 Rb6 19. Rc2 Rab8 20. Ne3 Rxb2 21. Rhc1 Rxc2 22. Rxc2 Qb5 23. Qxb5 Bxb5 24. a3 Nxe3 25. Kxe3 c6 26. Bb4 Rd8 27. Bc5 Kf7 28. Kf4 Kf6 29. h4 Rd7 30. e3 g6 31. g4 fxg4 32. Kxg4 e5 33. h5 exd4 34. Bxd4+ Ke6 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Bc5 Bd3 37. Rc3 Bb5 38. Kg5 Rd3 39. Rc1 Kf7 40. Kf4 Ke6 41. e4 Kf6 42. Rc2 Rd1 43. Rh2 Bc4 44. Rh8 Rd3 45. Rf8+ Bf7 46. Kg4 g5 47. f4 gxf4 48. Kxf4 Ke6 49. Rc8 Kd7 50. Ra8 Bb3 51. Ra7+ Kc8 52. e5 Rd7 53. Ra8+ Kb7 54. Rh8 Rd1 55. Re8 Rf1+ 56. Kg5 Rc1 57. Bd6 Rg1+ 58. Kf4 Re1 59. Rb8+ Ka6 60. Kf5 Rb1 61. Kf6 Rf1+ 62. Ke7 Rf7+ 63. Kd8 Rb7 64. Rc8 Bd5 65. Bc7 Be6 66. Ra8+ Ra7 67. Rb8 Rb7 68. Ra8+ ½ : ½ Malakhov – Bacrot, 5th Tournament of Peace, Zagreb 2018. 15. ... Rfb8 16. Rb1 Rb6! 17. Kf2. 17. Qxa5 Rc6 is quite critical, with Black having powerful compensation for his temporary two Pawn deficit. 17. ... Rc6 18. Qa3 (18. Qxa5 Qe8!) 18. ... Nb6 19. Be3 (19. Qxa5?? Qxd4+ 20. Be3 Qxe3+!−+) 19. ... Nc4 20. Qb3 Rb6 21. Qc2 Rab8

22. b3!?? An overambitious but far from forced Exchange sacrifice. 22. Ne4 (Δ Ne4-c5) was well worth considering. 22. ... Na3 23. Qd2 Nxb1 24. Rxb1 Rd8 25. Ne4 Rb5 26. Rc1 e5 27. dxe5 (27. Nc5 Qh3) 27. ... Rd5 28. Qc2 Qh3

29. Rh1? Goryachkina cracks under the pressure of time and compensation needs. Best was 29. Kg1! Rxe5 30. Bf4 Re7 31. g4! Rde8 32. Nf2 Qh4 33. e4 with some chances to hold. 29. ... Rxe5. Both White’s King and Rook are dramatically badly placed, and Dubov has easy play in finishing matters with his opponent: 30. Qxc7 Rde8−+ 31. Bf4 (31. Bd4 R5e6−+ Δ 32. g4 Rxe4! 33. fxe4 Qxg4−+) 31. ... R5e7 32. Qxa5 Bxe2! 33. Ng5 Qd7 34. Re1 Qd4+ 35. Kg2 h6 0 : 1.

Today Dubov proved too much of a challenge for Goryachkina. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.