Sliding Doors

Vladimir Nailevich Malakhov – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
27th Russian Team Chess Championship; Sochi, November 28, 2020
Slav Defence D11

1. c4 c6 2. Nf3 d5 3. g3 Bg4 4. Bg2 e6 5. d4 Nf6 6. 0-0 Nbd7 7. h3 Bh5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Qb3 Qb6 10. Qe3+ Be7 11. Nh4 Bg6 12. Nc3 Qd8 13. Nxg6 hxg6 14. Qd3 0-0 15. Bf4 Nb6!?TN (15. ... Re8 16. Rad1 Qa5 17. a3 a6 18. Rfe1 Rad8 19. b4 Qb6 20. Na4 Qa7 21. Nc5 a5 22. Bd2 b6 23. Nxd7 Rxd7 24. bxa5 bxa5 25. Rc1 c5 26. dxc5 Bxc5 27. e3 Rb8 28. Rb1 a4 29. Bc3 Rxb1 30. Rxb1 d4 31. Bxd4 Bxd4 32. exd4 Qxd4 33. Qc2 Rd8 34. Bf1 Qe4 35. Qxe4 Nxe4 36. Rb4 f5 37. Rxa4 Rd1 38. Kg2 ½ : ½ Svidler – Pelletier, 6th Kortschnoi Zürich Chess Challenge, Zürich 2017) 16. b3 Re8 17. Na4

17. ... Ne4! A brilliant temporary Pawn sacrifice which gives Black an opportunity to claim a volatile initiative. 18. Nxb6 axb6 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20. Qxe4 Bf6. 20. ... Bd6 also came in consideration, as after 21. Qd3 Bxf4 22. gxf4 Ra5! 23. e4 Qf6 Black regains the Pawn with good play. 21. Be5 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Qg5 23. Qd4 b5 24. Qb6 Re7 25. Rad1 Qxe5. Black has finally regained her Pawn and now heads for the exchange of Queens, thus simplifying to a drawish endgame. 26. Rd2 Qc7 27. Qxc7 Rxc7 28. Rfd1 Kf8 29. Kg2 c5 30. Kf3 Ke7 31. Ke4 Ra6 32. f4 b4 33. e3 b5 34. g4 c4 35. Rd5 Rb6. Of course not 35. ... Rxa2?? because of 36. Re5+ and mate next move. Goryachkina just digs around a little more in her vain search for water in the desert. 36. Rc1 f6 37. Rc2 Rb8 38. h4 Kf7 39. Kf3 Ke6 40. Ke4 Kf7 41. Kf3 Ke6 42. Ke4 ½ : ½.

In the end Goryachkina drew eight of her nine games, and lost only one — that is, as they say, when good enough isn’t enough. This means that the time has come for her to return to the women’s rooms, and thus she’ll be the number one seed at the 70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship to be held at Moscow from December 4–17, 2020. Photo: Vladimir Leonidovich Barsky/Russian Chess Federation.