Backstage Blackout

Leya Rafisovna Garifullina – Aleksandra Yuryevna Goryachkina
70th Russian Women’s Chess Championship Superfinal; Moscow, December 7, 2020
Caro-Kann Defence B15

So here is the surprise of the day: number one seed Goryachkina suffered enormously to save a draw against her fellow Ural countrywoman Garifullina. 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bf5 7. Bd3 Bxd3 8. Qxd3 Bd6 9. Ne2 0-0 10. 0-0 Qc7 11. h3 (11. g3 Nd7 12. Bf4 Rfe8 13. Rfe1 Nf8 14. Bxd6 Qxd6 15. Nf4 ½ : ½ Sedlak – Miladinović, 7th Serbian Chess Championship, Vrnjačka Banja 2013) 11. ... Nd7 12. Be3 Rfe8 13. c4 Rad8 14. Qc2 Nf8 15. c5 Be7 16. b4 Ne6 17. Rfd1 Qc8 18. a4 Nc7 19. Nc3 Nd5 20. Nxd5 Rxd5 21. b5 f5 22. bxc6 bxc6 23. a5 Bf6 24. Qb3 g5 25. f3 Qd7 26. Ra4 Qe6 27. Rd3 f4 28. Bf2 h5 29. Rb4 Kg7 30. Rb7 Re7 31. a6 Qe2 32. Qb1 Qe6. Maybe not wrong, but probably not the safest. 32. ... Red7 seems to be Black’s best mode of retaining equality. 33. Rd1 Qc8? But this is decidedly a mistake. Best was 33. ... Rdd7! and if 34. Re1 Black can reply 34. ... Qc4 with a tenable game. 34. Rxe7 Bxe7 35. Qb7 Qd7

36. Rb1? Here Garifullina misses her big opportunity, as 36. Qxd7 Rxd7 37. d5! cxd5 38. Rb1! would give White an overwhelming preponderance. 36. ... Rxd4! Goryachkina’s Exchange sacrifice evokes a dark-square mating attack, which should hopefully guarantee Black adequate compensation — if nothing else, the final result will prove her right. That said, it should be noted that 36. ... Qf5 is the top choice of most engines. 37. Bxd4+ Qxd4+ 38. Kh1 Bxc5 39. Qxc6 g4! 40. fxg4. Not 40. hxg4?? on account of 40. ... Qf2!−+ threatening unavoidable mate. 40. ... hxg4 41. Qc8. Now 41. hxg4? is met by 41. ... Qd3! (threatening both Qd3xb1+ and Qd3-h7+) 42. Qxc5 Qxb1+ 43. Kh2 Qh7+ with equality. 41. ... g3. White’s King is stalemated. 42. Qg4 Kh7 43. Qh5+ Kg7 44. Rd1 Qe3 45. Qg5+ Kh7 46. Qd5 Kg6 47. Qc4 Kg7 48. Qf1 Bd4 49. Rd3 Qe5 50. Qd1 Bf2 51. Rd5 Qf6 52. Qg4+ Kf8 53. Rd1 Be3 54. Rb1 Qd6 55. Qg5 Bb6 56. Rc1 Bd8 57. Qg4 Bb6 58. Rd1 Qe5 59. Rc1 Qd6 60. h4 Qe5 61. h5 Qf6 62. Rc8+ Bd8 63. Rc1

63. ... f3! 64. Rf1. Of course neither the Pawn nor the Queen for White can capture the f3-Pawn because of 64. ... Qb2 and 64. ... Qh4+ 65. Kg1 Bc5+ respectively. 64. ... f2. 64. ... Bc7! seems more forcing, as after 65. gxf3 Qb2 White has probably nothing better than 66. Qc8+ with a likely draw by perpetual check. 65. Qxg3 Bb6 66. Qg4 Bd4? 66. ... Qc6 is probably the toughest defence.

67. g3! Qxa6 68. Kg2 Qc6+ 69. Qf3 Qxf3+ 70. Kxf3 Kg7 71. Kg2 Kh6 72. Rd1 Bb6 73. g4 f6 74. Rd5? Apparently after 74. Rd7 Be3 (or elsewhere along the diagonal) 75. Rf7 Bd4 76. Kf1 Black will be hardly able to defend all her Pawns. 74. ... Kg7 75. Kf1 Be3 76. Ke2 Bb6 77. Rf5 Bd4 78. Kd3 Bb6 79. Kc4 Be3 80. Rf3 Bb6 81. Kd5 Be3 82. Kc4 Bb6 83. Rf5 Be3 84. Kd3 Bb6 85. Ke2 Bd4 86. Rd5 Bb6 87. Rf5 Bd4 88. Rd5 Bb6 89. Rf5 ½ : ½.

After one win and two consecutive draws, Goryachkina is now tied for second, one point behind Polina Sergeevna Shuvalova, first with full points. Eteri Kublashvili/Russian Chess Federation.