Separate spheres

Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina – Nikita Kirillovich Vitiugov
27th Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, November 23, 2020
King’s Indian Defence E94

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 0-0 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 exd4 8. Nxd4 Re8 9. f3 c6 10. 0-0. This comes as a bit of a surprise, because Goryachkina used to play here 10. Bf2 d5 11. exd5 cxd5 12. 0-0 Nc6 13. c5 and then: (a) 13. ... Nh5 14. Qd2 Be5 15. g3 Ng7 16. Ncb5 Bh3 17. Rfe1 Rc8 18. Rac1 a6 19. f4 axb5 20. fxe5 Rxe5 21. Bxb5 Qf6 22. Rxe5 Qxe5 23. Re1 Qh5 24. Bxc6 bxc6 25. Qf4 Qg4 26. Qxg4 Bxg4 27. b4 Kf8 28. a4 Bd7 29. Be3 Ne6 30. Nxe6+ Bxe6 31. b5 Ra8 32. b6 Rxa4 33. Rb1 Bc8 34. b7 Bxb7 35. Rxb7 d4 36. Bf4 Ke8 37. Rc7 Ra1+ 38. Kf2 Ra2+ 39. Kf3 Rxh2 40. Rxc6 h5 41. Bg5 Rc2 42. Bf6 Kd7 43. Rd6+ Kc7 44. Bxd4 1 : 0 Goryachkina – Martínez Romero, 27th World Youth Chess Championship, Al Ain 2013; (b) 13. ... Bf8 14. Kh1 Re5 15. a3 Bh6 16. b4 Nh5 17. b5 Na5 18. g3 Nf6 19. Re1 Bh3 20. Bd3 Rxe1+ 21. Qxe1 Rc8 22. Na4 Nd7 23. g4 Bg7 24. Rd1 Ne5 25. Bh4 Qd7 26. Be2 Nac4 27. Qg3 Ne3 28. Rg1 N5c4 29. c6 bxc6 30. Nxc6 Re8 31. Qxh3 Qd6 32. Bxc4 dxc4 33. Bf2 Qxa3 34. f4 Qxa4 35. Bxe3 Qxb5 36. Ne5 f6 37. Nxc4 Qxc4 38. Bxa7 Qxf4 39. Qg2 Qc4 40. Rd1 Qa4 41. Qd5+ Kh8 42. Qd4 Qc2 43. Qd5 Qe2 44. Rg1 h6 45. Qg2 Qc4 46. Bf2 Kh7 47. Qf3 Re4 48. Qg2 Qe6 49. Qf3 Bf8 50. Qg2 g5 51. Qf3 Kg7 52. Qg2 Kg6 53. Qf3 Be7 54. Qd3 Kg7 55. Qf3 Bb4 56. h3 Rf4 57. Qb7+ Kg6 58. Bg3 Qe4+ 59. Qxe4+ Rxe4 60. Rf1 Re2 61. Rc1 h5 62. Rc4 Ba5 63. Ra4 Bc3 64. Rc4 Bb2 65. Ra4 h4 66. Bb8 Kf7 67. Ra6 Bd4 68. Bc7 Be3 69. Bb8 Ke7 70. Bc7 Bd4 71. Bb8 Rc2 72. Bd6+ Kd7 73. Bh2 Kc8 74. Ra8+ Kd7 75. Ra6 Kc8 76. Ra8+ Kb7 77. Rb8+ Ka6 78. Rb3 Ka5 79. Rb8 Rxh2+ 0 : 1 Goryachkina – Hillarp Persson, 15th Open Internacional d’escacs de Sants, Hostafrancs i la Bordeta, Barcelona 2013; (c) 13. ... Bh6 14. Re1 a6 15. Bf1 Rxe1 16. Qxe1 Bg7 17. Rd1 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Be6 19. Qd2 Rc8 20. b4 a5 21. a3 axb4 22. axb4 Qc7 23. Nb5 Qd8 24. Nc3 h5 25. Kh1 Kh7 26. Bxf6 Qxf6 27. Nxd5 Qe5 28. Nb6 Rf8 29. Bc4 Re8 30. h3 Qg3 31. Qe1 Qf4 32. Bb5 Be5 33. Qxe5 Qxe5 34. Bxe8 Qe2 35. Rb1 Bxh3 36. gxh3 Qxf3+ 37. Kg1 Qe3+ 38. Kg2 Qe4+ 39. Kf2 Qxb1 0 : 1 Goryachkina – Bodnaruk, Women’s Russian Cup Final 2014, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 10. ... d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. Qb3 Nc6 13. Rad1 Na5?! Of course, if a King’s Indian virtuoso like Svetozar Gligorić preferred here 13. ... Qe7 he must have had his good reasons: 14. Nxd5 Nxd5 15. Qxd5 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 Be6 17. Qb5 a6 18. Qa4 Bxd4+ 19. Rxd4 Rac8 20. Rfd1 Rc5 21. Qa3 Rc2 22. Qxe7 Rxe7 23. R4d2 ½ : ½ R. E. Byrne – Gligorić, 1st Milan Vidmar Memorial, Ljubljana 1969. 14. Qa3. Apart from the result, very good is also 14. Qc2 dxe4 15. Ne6 Bxe6 16. Rxd8 Raxd8 17. fxe4 Nc6 18. Bg5 Nd4 19. Qa4 Nxe2+ 20. Nxe2 b5 21. Qa5 Bc4 22. Bxf6 Bxf6 23. Rxf6 Bxe2 24. Kf2 Bc4 25. b3 Be6 26. Qxb5 Rd2+ 27. Kg3 Rc8 28. Rf2 Rc3+ 29. Rf3 Rcc2 30. Qb8+ Kg7 31. Kf4 Rxg2 32. Qxa7 Rxa2 33. Qc7 Rxh2 34. Qe5+ Kg8 35. Qb8+ Kg7 36. Qe5+ Kg8 37. Qb8+ Kg7 38. Qe5+ ½ : ½ Gustafsson – Korley, 10th Annual Manhattan Open, New York 2011. 14. ... Bd7!?TN (14. ... Bf8 15. b4± Saiyn – Slovak, 4th Summer Prague Open, Prague 2017) 15. Ndb5! dxe4. Gone with the stream. However, 15. ... Bf8 16. Bc5 a6 17. Nd6 was not appealing either. 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. fxe4 Rxe4

18. Rxf7! And suddenly Vitiugov finds himself standing on the verge of catastrophe. 18. ... Bf8 19. Qd3. Goryachkina plays it safely in harmony with her style. 19. Rfxd7 Qxd7 20. Qxa5+− was another strong (and probably stronger) possibility. 19. ... Bc6 (19. ... Rxe3 20. Qxe3 Kxf7 21. Bg4+−)

20. Qxd8? That’s far too much prudence — and probably it must have been a source of regret for Goryachkina. 20. Qc3! Qh4 21. Rdf1 retains very strong winning chances for White in view of her many threats. 20. ... Rxd8 21. Rxd8 Kxf7 22. Kf2 Nc4 23. Bxc4+ Rxc4 24. Nd6+ Bxd6 25. Rxd6 Rc2+ 26. Rd2 Rxd2+ 27. Bxd2 a6 28. a3 Bd5 29. Bc3 Bc6 30. Bd2 Bd5 31. Bc3 Bc6 32. Bd2 Bd5 33. Bc3 ½ : ½.

In hindsight, today’s draw seems like a missed opportunity for Goryachkina. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.